Email Spam
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Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, so went the Monty python song. And equally annoying are the unsolicited e-mails that are sent to your inbox offering you everything from a cut of a family fortune secretly stashed away by a now deceased Nigerian Army Major to little pills to increase your girth! But there is a serious side. Spam is estimated to account for up to 40% of global e-mail and by July 2003 spam will account for more e-mail traffic than legitimate mail. The government is determined to crack down on unsolicited e-mail. It is proposing a fight back against the spammers with strict new rules about how personal e-mail details are used. From October, a European Union directive will make unsolicited e-mails illegal across member states and the UK Government is planning to have its legal framework in place at the same time. But what can the every day punter do?
Courtesy of BBC Radio 4. Material World.
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According to our BBC science program today, apparently 40% of all the E-Mail circulating the world is spam mail, generated by 150 people living in Florida.
A European Directive coming soon to prohibit un-solicited spam mail will have little or no effect, because most of the spam is generated in the U.S where the "Freedom Of Speech Act*" prohibits the use of "Spam Blockers", (they are actually illegal in the U.S. for that very reason)....the mind boggles...!
The spammers whole life is dedicated to finding us with Hi-Tech search engines, and our attempt to stop them is of little, or no avail.
Practically all of my spam mail refers U.S. Dollars which indicates the country of origin.
It is estimated that things are going to get worse.
Cheers...
Paul.
(England).
*Thank-you very much Florida, I'm really looking forward to getting another dozen Viagra adverts in my E-Mail tonight and watching all the little Emmy-Lou's in Texas, via their bedroom web-cams. I just have difficulties in finding any U.S. Dollars in my English purse....!