As we reported, Microsoft announced last week that the company was planning to add tools to its Internet Explorer toolbar to help combat phishing and scam sites.

Microsoft has made good on its statements by releasing a beta of The Microsoft Phishing Filter Add-in. The add-in will “warn” users with a bright yellow bar is it suspects a website is setup for phishing and will “block” users on a site that is confirmed on the online list of reported phishing sites. The add-in also has buttons that allow users to report any websites they suspect of being used for phishing or to inform Microsoft that any website with a “warn” flag is legitimate.

We applaud Microsoft’s initiative to make the internet safer for users, but we reiterate our concern that sites or companies may not be able to appeal the warning directly.