Summary
The Pew Internet and American Life Project released the results of a survey indicating that nearly a third of those using instant message services have received unsolicited commercial messages on their IM client. Spam messages have gone from being immeasurable in 2003 to comprising about 5 percent of IM traffic in 2004.
Original source:
http://www.betanews.com/article/Spam_Coming_Soon_to_an_IM_Near_You/1109181116
Details
- According to survey released Wednesday, nearly one third, or 17 million, of the nation's instant message users have received some kind of unsolicited message at least once.
- The Pew Internet and American Life Project contacted respondents by phone over a period from January 13 to February 9.
- The study, however, did not include those under 18, which is widely considered the biggest group of IM users.
- "The people who brought you spam...are trying to figure out whether this is a cash cow," Pew Internet Executive Director Lee Rainie said in the report.
- According to various studies, IM spam, or "spim", is indeed increasing.
- Data from IMLogic suggests that spim went from practically zero in 2003 to 5 percent of all messages sent in 2004.
- The content of spim messages vary, from scams similar to those in spam e-mail to hackers trying to gain access, or to spread viruses.
- Some spim will even be of a sexual nature.
- Both AOL and Microsoft are working on ways to combat spim on their services.
- For now, users can combat spim by using the feature in both networks' software to restrict who can contact them.
- But right now the feature restricting who can contact you works with 100% success and I don't see that changing.
- For e-mail I have a white list and it's also 100% successful.
- It took a while to setup but I get zero spam on it.
- The real issue is spam over the phone and the cell providers are as guilty of this as the spammers.
- They have clauses stating they can spam you at will within the contract, it's almost worth dumping cells for.
- Just place your finger on the block button and also use Ytunnel for yahoo.
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• Interview with John Levine on the War on SPAM
• Put an end to spam and phishing by reforming email
• Can-Spam Act court ruling obliterates state anti-spam laws, activists say
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