Email Spam facts
While investigating facts about Email Spam, I found out little known, but curios details like:
Daniel Balsam is a US man who got so infuriated with constant email spam that he quit his job, got a law degree and has so far earned over 1 million USD in court judgements against the spammers.
After the Srizbi botnet was taken down in 2008, it is estimated that the global volume of email spam declined by up to 93%.
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 34 of the best facts about Email Spam I managed to collect.
-
The company that makes "Spam" meat refers to internet spamming as "unwanted emails" instead of spam.
-
Spam email is actually finally in decline
-
The first spam email and the first DoS attack occurred on the same day. A law firm sent a spam message over the early web, and annoyed recipients flooded them with angry responses, crashing their computer.
-
Two scientists, fed up with spam-like emails from a certain conference, submitted a research paper that consisted of only the phrase "get me off your fucking email list". The paper was later accepted for publication by the Journal of Advanced Computer Technology.
-
Spam emails are named after the lunch meat Spam because of a Monty Python sketch in which Spam is portrayed as both ubiquitous and inescapable
-
The term "spam" meaning internet junk is derived from a Monty Python skit. Spam makers Hormel, while never happy with the use of the word spam for junk email, have been supportive of the sketch and issued a special tin of Spam for the Broadway premiere of Spamalot based on Monty Python.
-
LinkedIn was sued for hacking their users' email addresses and spamming their contact lists with LinkedIn invites
-
The first 'spam' email was sent 40 years ago this month, when Gary Thuerk sent a message advertising a new model of computer to all 393 ARPANET addresses on the West Coast of the US.
-
The term 'spam' referring to unwanted junk emails comes from Monty Python's Spam sketch
-
Spam emails were named after a Monty Python Sketch.
Email Spam data charts
For your convenience take a look at Email Spam figures with stats and charts presented as graphic.
What is true about email spam?
You can easily fact check it by examining the linked well-known sources.
When you click UNSUBSCRIBE to spam emails, you have confirmed to the sender that your email address is both valid and in active use. So even though you’re removed from that spammers email list, your information can be sold to another spammer who will then send you even more junk mail
The term for the opposite of "spam" (unwanted email) is "ham" (desired email) - source
In 2004, Bill Gates was the most spammed person in the world with more than 4 million emails per day. Microsoft had to set up a whole department just to deal with this issue, and only forward a dozen of important emails to his direct inbox. - source
The word “spam” used in reference to unwanted e-communications (commonly emails) comes from a 1972 Monty Python sketch in which two customers are lowered into a restaurant and everything on the menu contains spam.
More than 280 Billion emails are sent every day and around 49.7% are considered spam - source
The first Spam email was sent in 1978 to 385 out of the 3600 users of the APARNET at the time. The message contained information about houses where people could check the new DECSYSTEM-20.
China, United States and South Korea are world’s three largest spam email producers, nearly accounting for a total of 55 percent of the world’s spam.
The spam option on emails is named after the Monty Python song of the same name, Spam. This began when a bug in the original program that was used to create the initial email software caused a clip of the song to go out to more people than it was supposed to.
There are 269 billion emails sent everyday and United States is the top country where email spam is generated followed by China and Russia.
Unsolicited email is called "spam" because of a Monty Python skit
Email spam infographics
Beautiful visual representation of Email Spam numbers and stats to get perspecive of the whole story.
