Spam

Spam in Electronic Commerce

Spam in the Online Business Law

Spam

Overview of Spam in relation to cyber crime: [1]How ''spam'' came to mean unwanted advertising-related email is unclear. One theory comes from the British television series Monty Python's Flying Circus. In a well-known skit from that show, Viking warriors chanted ''Spam!'' repeatedly, drowning out all other dialogue, in the same way that spam messages drown out other communication. It has also been suggested (and widely debated) that ''spam'' is an acronym for such terms as ''simultaneously posted advertising message'' or ''single post to all mailboxes.'' While no evidence exists that definitively answers this question, support for the Monty Python link was noted in an episode of NPR's All Things Considered (See ''At 30, Spam Going Nowhere Soon,'' 2008). Today, the word ''spam'' has become part of the lexicon of cyber culture, usually referred to in disgust by users who dislike receiving unwanted email sent by advertising agencies or other types of firms.

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Notes and References

1. By Kelly Socia

See Also

• Types of Cybercrime
• Cybercriminal

Further Reading

At 30, Spam going nowhere soon. (2008). All Things Considered: National Public Radio; Hormel. (2006). SPAM and the Internet. Hormel Web site: (internet link) spam.com/legal/spam/; IT Security. (2008). The real cost of spam. IT Security Web site: (internet link) itsecurity.com/features/real-cost-of-spam-121007/; ISPs charge to deliver mass e-mails. (2006, May/June). The Information Management Journal, 40(3), 20; Kirk, J. (2006, May 22). Alleged e-mail ''bomber'' faces trial after ruling. ComputerWorld, 40(21), 18; McQuade, S. (2006). Understanding and managing cybercrime. Boston: Allyn and Bacon; Miller, C. (2005, August). Mobile spam: Coming to your mobile phone? Law Enforcement Technology, 32(8), 44, 46–49; Rockbridge Associates. (2005). 2004 National technology readiness survey. Retrieved from (internet link) rhsmith.umd.edu/ntrs/NTRS_2004.pdf; Spam invades India. (2006, May/June). The Information Management Journal, 40(1), 16.

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See Also

• Internet Discovery
• Internet Evidence
• Internet Jurisdiction
• Trade Secrets
• Trademark
• Weblogs
• Cyberlaw