Spammers are confusing consumers by intentionally blurring the
boundaries between legitimate e-mail and unsolicited communications
selling counterfeit goods. This has infuriated the direct marketing
industry, which is relied upon to maintain brands' on-line
presence, yet finds itself tarred with the same brush as
spammers.
E-security specialist Clearswift, which hosted the roundtable
event, reveals in its latest spam index today that healthcare spam
has risen to account for a staggering 57.6% of all spam.
Pfizer, maker of the male impotency drug Viagra, has vowed to
take legal action against spammers, after recently finding that 25%
of men believed Pfizer itself was responsible for sending Viagra
spam.
"Pfizer has set a precedent, but we are likely to see other
companies declaring war on spammers for undermining their
products," said Alyn Hockey, Director of Research at Clearswift.
"Suing such web sites or seizing domain names may be harsh yet
necessary routes where finding long term solutions are concerned –
until then we have to rely on technology, taking a multi-layered
approach to content security in the fight against spam."
The roundtable panel, including Spamhaus, the Direct Marketing
Association, and the DTI, agreed that while education and
legislation were vital, effort to date had only minimal impact in
stemming the tide and technology remained the best defence against
spam.
