If you can't read that message, it may be Chinese spam
Just as rules of communication on the internet go, spam has few geographical boundaries. After the United States, China is plagued with more spam than any other country. The Chinese government and the Internet Society of China have recently improved their efforts to crack down on this overflow of unsolicited emails. Spam has become such a problem that the Chinese government has involved industries that oversee the country's technology market and police force to help with anti-spam efforts.
The outsourcing of Chinese spam
One of the biggest issues concerning Chinese spam is the fact that it is being frequently outsourced to other countries. It is believed that many spammers based in the United States hire local Chinese spammers to install servers in ISP data centers in China. It has also been speculated that they are paid to host or maintain spamming web sites and distribute emails in Chinese for U.S. spammers.
It is unlikely that all spammers using China as their distribution center are Chinese. Most of these messages are directed out of the country, specifically targeting other nationalities. Even so, ISP administrators in China have had a difficult time convincing annoyed recipients that the messages didn't originate from their networks. The complaints have shifted as Chinese users are making more complaints after becoming the prime target of these unsolicited emails.
Chinese spam grows faster than their population
The rate of Chinese spam continues to sky rocket on the internet. Industry analysts have concluded that spam will soon make up more than 90% of all email. The huge increase is attributed to the growing number of deceptive stock market spam and schemes similar to the old "pump and dump" technique. While everyone knows this act is illegal, they also realize that it can be very lucrative - which is the main reason why schemes of this nature have found their way to the internet and in our email messages.
Why China?
China's serious spam problem is surprising on some levels. The country does not have as many high speed connections as the United States or South Korea. It also has a government issued internet police squad that is said to be the largest and most efficient in the world. Still, online criminals continue to distribute spam and carry out scams - even with the Chinese government involved.
While the Chinese government has not been completely silent about its efforts against spam, public details have been a bit sketchy. It is well known fact that China makes use of the web to carry out activities of the "Cyber War." Many have questioned what purpose it serves in regard to the current flood of spam.
It was recently reported that a member from the Anti-Spam Task Force of the Internet Society of China introduced a new strategy to combat spam. The country plans to utilize electronic stamps to strengthen the power of spam prevention once all resources are fully developed. It's said that the electronic stamps will be able to distinguish legitimate commercial messages from spam. The goal is to protect the privacy of internet users, while promoting the positive development of China's email industry.
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