Spam Pledge Launched to Eradicate the Spam Problem

On the 30th anniversary of junk mails, Sophos, a security firm, introduced a Spam Pledge, requesting the Internet users to help in crushing the curse of spam.

On May 3, 1978, an employee of DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation), the computer giant of that time, mailed a message, which is considered as the first spam mass mail.

The message, mailed to about 393 Arpanet users, a provider of the Internet service, invited users to see the future and listen about the DECSYSTEM-20 FAMILY at the presentation of their two products in California during the same month.

An increase can be witnessed in the problem caused by spam to a great extent. Currently, about 120 Billion spam mails are sent everyday, which means it is a multi-billion dollar business and it exerts huge burden on e-mail servers as well as on other parts of the Internet infrastructure. According to an evaluation, about 80 to 90% of e-mail traffic is caused by spam.

Moreover, spam filtering technology has developed very much in last three to four years, but eradicating the spam problem seems more difficult than actually imagined.

Sophos' Senior Technology Consultant, Graham Cluley, said that 30 years back when Gary Thuerk mailed the mass mail, he never thought of what he is initiating. Presently, across the globe, almost every Internet user faces spam problem blocking their mail inbox, as per the reports published on May 1, 2008 by vnunet.

Many spam mails are malicious and try to install spyware or get financial information, which is the worst. The Internet users, who purchase goods through spam, prolong the spam problem and it should be stopped.

The Spam Pledge is launched due to a request from Web users to oppose clicking on links or answering to the spam mails.

For promotion of the pledge, Sophos created a Facebook group named 'The Sophos Spam Pledge' and a You Tube video, depicting people taking oath to not to open or click on links attached to unsolicited e-mails.

Meanwhile, apart from computers, spams are also appearing on other platforms, like cell phones. ITU's (International Telecommunication Union) research revealed that about 80% of mobile phone users across the world receive spam on their cell phones.

Related article: Spam Scam Bags a Scottish Connection

» SPAMfighter News - 5/2/2008