Current anti-spam efforts are mediocre at best and have us chasing our tail like the proverbial dog.
According to the estimates reported in the references below, the annual cost of spam has increased from about $ 20 billion (1) in 2004 to $ 35 billion (2) in 2007, for the US alone. Globally the estimate is over $ 100 billion and the spam volume could possibly double in 2008 (3).
If any of the current approaches to solving spam were effective we would not see this trend, and doing more of the same will not solve this problem.
Spam will not be solved by any law enforcement means because beyond questioning the constitutionality of anti-spam laws here in the US, spam is a global problem; and the jurisdictional and evidentiary issues are so resource intensive that they will not be practical for anything but anecdotal success. Therefore, such efforts will have no significant impact on the spam problem.
The solution to the spam problem will not come in the form of an advanced software widget with new fancier algorithms because such a device is still being asked to interpret what only a human really can.
The solutions to some problems await a major technological leap, such as the leap scientists are awaiting to succeed with nuclear fusion. However, the solution to spam does not require any technological leaps. This is not to say that advances in technology cannot help solve the spam problem, but this technology is already here. It just needs to be applied in a particular Internet environment, with some added processes, in concert with minor human participation and the right approach to accountability and enforcement.
Over the last several years we've seen new modes of electronic communications emerge, such as text messaging, instant messaging, and systems within many social networking websites. Now these are subject to spam more and more. Overlooked within this emergence is the significance shown that the shifting of communications from one mode or system to another is a viable path. So, what if we built an entirely new email system based on a more effective methodology that people and businesses could shift their email communications to?
This may sound drastic, but considering that all anti-spam efforts to date have left us a spam problem in excess of $ 100 billion and growing, it may be time for an entirely new approach. It may be time for an entirely new email system. The question is how. For this reason, CapeMax is working on the "how". To learn more, please visit the CapeMax website.
(1) 2004 National Technology Readiness Survey, February 3, 2005, prepared by Rockbridge Associates, Inc., Great Falls, VA; sponsored by R.H. Smith School of Business, the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, page 6.(2) Ferris Research - One San Antonio Place, Suite 3B, San Francisco, CA 94133, USA, http://www.ferris.com/research-library/industry-statistics/
(3) Communications News, May 2008 issue, page 8, Trends section, article headline, Spam volume could double in 2008. Nelson Publishing, Inc; http://www.comnews.com
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