Defining Spam
Fernando Lagraña · 2016
This chapter aims to put forward a definition and classification of the different forms of spam, as well as to evaluate the factors that alter people's perception of electronic mail (e-mail) so that a single message can be considered positive at a given moment and negative at another. Practice shows that spam can vary in its form, nature and potential impact. The chapter presents a classification for spam depending on the interactions that occur between senders' and receivers' roles. This classification highlights four main categories of spam, in which unwanted messages are defined as commercial, fraudulent, friendly or hostile spam. The nature and perception of spam varies depending on the level of interaction between giver and receiver before the message is received. The most visible technical and operational challenge with e-mail is commercial spam. Fraudulent spammers use imposture and false identification.