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Spam: a
threat to the Information Society
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Background resources
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Unsolicited
commercial communications by e-mail, or spam, as it is
more usually known, has become one of the major
plagues affecting today's digital world. In a short
period, spam has become more prevalent than legitimate
email correspondence with spammers sending hundreds of
millions of messages per day.
What started out as a
minor nuisance now causes significant financial costs
and losses in productivity for service providers,
businesses and end-users.
With the growing dependence
of users on the Internet and e-mail for their personal
and professional communications, the phenomenon of
spam can seriously hamper the development of the
digital economy and society by undermining user
confidence in online activities.
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ITU Survey on anti-spam legislation worldwide
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Please check existing information and add new
information to the ITU
anti-spam survey
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In April 2005, in the framework of its "Countering Spam" activities, an ITU Survey
on Anti-Spam Legislation Worldwide 
was conducted.
The aim of
this Survey was to gather information regarding spam and legislation worldwide,
including the authorities responsible for anti-spam measures in each country.
Information is regularly updated.
Please, help us in updating the ITU
anti-spam survey
If you have comments, or would
like to provide any additional information, please contact the ITU Strategy and
Policy Unit (SPU) at cybersecurity (at) itu.int.
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WSIS and
Spam
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WSIS Site |
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During the first phase of the World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS), held in Geneva from 10 to
12 December 2003, spam was identified as a potential
threat to the full utilization of the internet and
e-mail.
Unsolicited commercial e-mail messages are
undermining e-mail security and efficiency, and
diminishing the confidence of users in communication
technologies.
Summit participants affirmed that Spam
is a "significant and growing problem for users,
networks and the Internet as a whole" (WSIS
Declaration, paragraph 37), which needs to be
dealt with at "both national and international
level" (WSIS
Plan of Action, paragraph C5, d).
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Consultation Meeting on WSIS Action Line C5:
Building Confidence and Security in the use of ICTs
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In line with paragraph 108 and the Annex of the
Tunis Agenda for the Information Society, ITU is
organizing a Consultation on WSIS Action Line
Facilitation for action line C5: Building confidence
and security in the use of ICTs.
More information can be found
here. |
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ITU activities on
countering spam
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Report
by the ITU Secretary General on Spam to ITU Council 2005
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ITU is implementing a series of cooperative activities on countering spam, in the shorter and longer term, to foster international
cooperation, the creation of harmonized policy frameworks, and to promote the
exchange of information and best practices, as well as to provide support to
developing countries in the field of spam.
Information regarding these
initiatives as well as a review of other international initiatives on countering
spam are available
here.
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International
cooperation and spam
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Background
Resources |
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A
multi-faceted approach is needed to fight spam
effectively. Prevention, consumer awareness, filtering
techniques and national laws will be of little use if
effective international cooperation is not developed.
International cooperation - which include bilateral
and multilateral agreements - has two objectives:
to promote the adoption of
appropriate and harmonized anti-spam legislation in
countries which do not yet have it;
to encourage cooperation
among countries, in order to tackle the problem of
spam comprehensively and to ensure effective
enforcement of applicable rules. |
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Consumer
protection and awareness
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Background
resources |
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Spam is one of the major concerns for consumers accessing the
Internet today. The necessity of creating effective information networks and
spam-reporting mechanisms for users of the net should therefore not be
underestimated.
Increased coordination between consumer associations and
organizations, in particular with regard to the sharing of information and best
practices, can prove crucial in this process.
Enhanced cooperation can allow
consumers to further develop their skills in using electronic means of
communication, allowing them to better protect themselves against spam and thus
increasing influence.
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