Email spam

Uncommon card · No. 138827

Email spam, also referred to as junk email, spam mail, or simply spam, refers to unsolicited messages sent in bulk via email. The term originates from a Monty Python sketch, where the name of a canned meat product, "Spam", is used repetitively, mirroring the intrusive nature of unwanted emails. Since the early 1990s, spam has grown significantly, with estimates suggesting that by 2014, it comprised around 90% of all global email traffic. Spam is a burden for the recipient, who may be required to manage, filter, or delete these unwanted messages. This cost imposed on recipients, without compensation from the sender, makes spam an example of a "negative externality" (a side effect of an activity that affects others who are not involved in the decision). The legal definition and status of spam varies from one jurisdiction to another, but laws and lawsuits have not generally been successful in stemming spam. Most email spam messages are commercial in nature. Whether commercial or not, many...

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