Spam Facts and Trivia

This page is a repository for facts and trivia related to e-mail security, spam and the people who send spam.

General Spam Statistics

Look here for relevant facts on e-mail, the problem of spam and lost productivity due to Spam.

• 77% of Canadian Internet users employ some sort of Spam filtering.
  Source: Ipsos-Reid. March 2005
• Junk e-mail has become such a problem that spam, and ways to reduce and/or eliminate unwanted e-mail, is second only to information security on the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Top 10 Technologies list.
  Source: CA Magazine, March 2005.
• Spam technology rated at the #2 spot for IT Technologies that most affect the accounting profession. Last year, Spam didn't even make the top 10.
  Source: CA Magazine, March 2005.
• Network World US conducted a study comissioned by Symantec early in 2004. That study determined that 80% of IT Managers consider Spam a workplace problem. A further 59% of IT Managers indicated that Spam volumes had increased significantly over the last year.
  Source: CIO Canada magazine editorial. August, 2004.

Bad Spam Filters

E-Mail users are plagued by spam - and also by bad spam filters. The problem of incompetent spam filters is a major issue for businesses who distribute e-mail.

• Poor quality Spam filters will block marketing messages from legitimate senders, even when the recipient has Opted In to the mailing list.
  Source: Globe & Mail. March 31, 2005

• Technical glitches and Spam Filters stop approximately one third of all legitimate e-mail sent by reputable marketing companies from reaching its intended recipient.
  Source: Ms. Dierdre Baird. March 2005.

Direct E-Mail Marketing

• Direct E-Mail marketers can reach approximately 54% of Canadian households.
  Source: Globe & Mail. March 31, 2005

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