The first spam e-mail was reputed to have been sent on May 3, 1978, to a mere 400 recipients, but today 100 billion plus spam mail is sent every day, accounting for 80% of all e-mails. Spam can contain harmless advertisements and “get-rich-quick schemes” but it is more notoriously known for spy ware and viruses which can gather valuable personal information such as bank accounts or even can take control of a computer altogether for deviant use. The 2007 estimate of what criminals made online from spam was $239 million. To fight such threats, the CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) has been in effect since 2004 and it specifies the disciplinary actions associated with violations. Under the CAN-SPAM Act, e-mail recipients are given the right to request that spammers stop sending e-mails to them; the CAN-SPAM Act is backed up by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice prosecutes criminals. Spammers steal mailing lists from legitimate websites and target customers. In the end, it is the recipient who pays for the spam because it costs ISPs and online services to send spam, so the customer pays for it as the price of an internet provider rises. Despite efforts in the form of laws, spammers continue to exploit this global crime.
I think that spammers will never be stopped as the internet allows for seemingly endless resources and opportunities for criminals that will only progress with the years. It is good that laws are set to send the message that the issue is not tolerated, but the $239 million lost to spam in 2007 is miniscule in terms of global losses and since individuals are targeted and not governments and large businesses, I don’t think the issue was fully dealt with and may not be until it effects a larger portion of the population.
Article originally on Google News by Meka Aginam
http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/18736/51/
1 comment:
Spam...once a delightful meal...for most...now an eyesore when you open your email. Spam mail is a huge problem for everybody, I bet even the presidents secretary gets spam mail. The issue that you can compromise information by opening spam is more frightening than anything else. Spam mailers get your info and sell it to other "spammers" just to get some more marketing out of it. Perhaps if it wasn't so risky and overwhelming maybe i would read some of it.
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