In 1874 Samuel Morse, while fine tuning an early prototype of the Telegraph, received an unsolicited offer to sell him Viagra delivered in a plain brown package.
OK, we made that up. But we do know that every major breakthrough in communications brings with it an initial boost in productivity. This is soon followed by people finding ways to take advantage of technology for their personal gain, resulting in a serious blow to that productivity. It happened with the telephone, it happened with fax machines, and now it has happened with e-mail.
| E-mail has become a business necessity. The ability to deliver messages, images, documents, and more anywhere within seconds and at virtually no per-message cost is now taken for granted. So is the continual influx of unsolicited e-mail (Spam).
Spam wastes time and resources. Users must sift through their inboxes, trying to discern what is junk and what is important. This process often leads to a user being lured to a promoted web site wasting further time. Spam also exposes users to obscene messages and websites, and employers to potential lawsuits. |
