Managing spam: a global challenge
Adnan Omar, M. Khurrum S. Bhutta, Gwenola Lepeu · International Journal of Management Practice · 2009
Unsolicited commercial e-mail, or spam, is an ever-growing problem in today's increasingly digital world. Spam comprises an amazing 40% of all internet e-mails with an annual cost in excess of $30 million. With little cost and effort, one can send several thousand unsolicited messages in less than an hour. The result is not only slower internet traffic but also an unjust, costly, counterproductive and time-consuming burden on the receiver. Several attempts have been made to limit spamming and its deleterious impacts. Such efforts vary in their effectiveness and include managing and regulating e-mail traffic, employing filters, avoiding 'junk' e-mail lists and becoming increasingly aware of the ploys senders use to obtain e-mail addresses. This paper will discuss the problem of unsolicited bulk messaging, its magnitude and consequences, as well as potential solutions.