China Reports Significant Crackdown on Spam

In dealing with Internet spam during 2007, China has been reported to register an unprecedented level of success, according to the ISC's (Internet Society of China) report published on January 23, 2008.

Director Zeng Mingfa of the anti-spam unit of ISC told Xinhua on January 24, 2008 that the amount of junk e-mails originating in China and sent to other regions dropped to 4.9% of the worldwide total in Q3 of 2007, registering a decline by 8.5% from the same quarter in 2006. Zeng was quoting a study carried out by Sophos, an Internet security firm.

Zeng said that the drop, which was the largest worldwide, helped to bring down China from the second to the third rank in the list of spam producing countries of the world. The first and second ranks belonged to the US, producer of 28.4% of global spam, and the Republic of Korea producing 5.2%.

Over the period 2004-2007, China has been found to produce the second largest amount of spam following the US.

The ISC report further shows that about 210 Million Chinese residents received a total of 69.4 Billion junk e-mails in 2007, making up for approx 56% of total e-mail. The rate of junk e-mails for Q4 registered a decline by 3.33% over the same quarter in 2006, the ISC indicated, as reported by Xinhua.

Head of ISC, Huang Chengqing, said that the mass reduction of spam was significant but not an easy achievement. Both the industry and the government devoted enormous efforts without giving up at any stage to bring about the crackdown. Chinadaily published this on January 23, 2008.

The ISC, which has in its fold membership of China's telecommunications operators and major ISPs, according to reports, played a central role. The countrywide crackdown on illegal spam followed in the same direction as the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China's summons for an improved Internet environment at the start of 2007.

Also, the industry's self-discipline played a decisive role in the war against unsolicited spam. Netease and Sina, the major websites for e-mail service, joined in establishing an all-inclusive anti-spam processing base, recognizing only legitimate Internet Protocols. Besides, international cooperation also reportedly played a significant role.

Related article: China’s Best Initiatives To Deal With Spam

» SPAMfighter News - 2/6/2008