Spam is Here to Stay

Abstract

Spam has emerged as a modern day threat to electronic communications networks. Spam affects governments, service providers, commercial and private users alike. Spamming constitutes a breach of privacy, consumer protection laws, cyber crime laws and can have severe consequences for the party apprehended. Law enforcement that currently remains a cross border issue has yet to be enhanced in order to allow for law enforcement. Cooperation among service providers and the implementation of technical methods is likely to also make an impact. Enhanced end-user awareness can alleviate the burden of managing the huge amounts of spam without, however, necessarily solving the problem. A significant break through can be sought in the direction of authentication mechanisms including electronic identities that protect privacy and allow for personalized services.