There is a strong suggestion Australia generates more than its fair share of this junkmail. According to the Coalition Against Unsolicited Bulk E-Mail, an Australian volunteer organisation set up in June last year, this country produces a disproportionately high share of the world's spam. Experts estimate there are now nearly 300 million Internet users in the world, a number that is increasing exponentially. Of that number, nearly eight million, or about 2.7 per cent, are in Australia. But Australia was last year estimated to be producing about 16 per cent of the world's spam.
Some remedial measures are now in place.
Minister for Financial Services and Regulation Joe Hockey launched new electronic commerce guidelines for business in May, and laid down that spam was not acceptable. King Canute was made to propose much the same thing about tides. It didn't work for him, either. The Internet is global. It knows no boundaries, recognises no governments.