Spam volume to exceed legitimate emails in 2007

Research firm IDC has released results of a new study which forecasts that 2007 will see the volume of spam email overtake legitimate person-to-person email messages.

by Helen Leggatt

The message to marketers is to develop communication strategies that utilise a variety of channels, such as VoIP and instant messaging. Spam is causing consumers, especially teens and young adults, to dodge the relentless surge of spam thus slowing email growth. Businesses are becoming increasingly concerned that their email communications may be not reaching recipients in the format intended, with missing graphics and links, or ending up buried in a spam folder.

"Spam volumes are growing faster than expected due to the success of image-based spam in bypassing antispam filters and of email sender identity spoofing in getting higher response rates," said Mark Levitt, program VP for IDC's Collaborative Computing and Enterprise Workplace research, in a statement.

According to IDC, spam will account for 40 billion messages in 2007, out of a predicted total of 97 billion, over half once automated email messages, such as confirmations and receipts, are taken out of the equation.

Not all email users are seeing the increase in spam in their inboxes as spam filter developers continually upgrade products to keep up with the spammers.

The study, “Worldwide Email Usage 2007-2011”, covers how business and personal email can, and will, be used and can be obtained through IDC’s website.