• THE NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO FIGHT SPAM The president of Brightmail (a company that helps Internet providers block spam) predicts that by the end of this year half of all e-mail will be spam messages, and says that spam costs U.S. businesses $10 billion a year in lost productivity. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has called for international organizations to join the anti-spam effort, and Sen. Charles Schumer (D,NY) says: "As soon as we tighten up our laws here and institute vigorous enforcement, those who want to violate our laws move abroad. A global agreement will ensure that anti-spam standards protecting American computers are enforceable both here and abroad." (AP/San Jose Mercury News 22 May 2003) http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/5920220.htm

• STUDY SHOWS SPAM PAYS While the battle against spam intensifies, the Direct Marketing Association has just released figures showing that commercial e-mail advertisements generated more than $7 billion in sales last year. The DMA's study is intended to bolster its claim that commercial e-mail plays a significant role in the U.S. economy. According to the report, about 36% of e-mail users, or 21% of all adult Americans, have purchased a product or service as the result of receiving commercial e-mail over the past year, with purchases valued at an average of $168. About 9% of these e-mail users said they made their purchases as the result of unsolicited commercial e-mail. (Wall Street Journal 22 May 2003) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB105358168385262900.djm,00.html (sub req'd)

If you would like to discuss if it could be mutually beneficial for us to provide services to you or to assist you in your own antispam efforts, send an email message to newservice@solid.net with a note about what services you would like to discuss.

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