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SPAM COSTS BUSINESSES $40 MILLION A WEEK
SPAM costs Australian businesses at least $40 million a week in lost productivity, according to new estimates.
This is about $2 billion a year, equivalent to: an extra 45,000 full-time jobs a yearone of Australia's biggest company profits.
"SPAM is having a devastating effect on Australian businesses," said Ron Slatyer, the Director of privacy software firm Privacy Edge P/L. Mr Slatyer has been researching the impact of SPAM (unsolicited junk mail) for the past 12 months. He said the $40 million figure is conservative and probably much higher. It is based on the following*:
5.8 million full-time employees in Australia
63% of full-time employees aged 18 or older use a computer at work (ie. 3.6 million)
About half of them receive SPAM (ie. 1.8 million)
SPAM costs employees on average about one hour's work each week
An average hourly rate of $22.
The cost in lost productivity does not include further costs such as:
IT staff resources to deal with SPAM
"false positives" ie. legitimate email getting caught in SPAM filters
lost time due to the jamming of networks and computers
reduced productivity due to inappropriate material in the workplace such as pornography.
"SPAM is costing Australian businesses a small fortune. And it's getting worse. The incidence of SPAM in Australia has risen from 1-in-1000 emails in 2002 to 1-in-10 emails in 2003. It's out of control. I don't know any business that can afford to lose thousands of dollars in lost productivity each week. SPAM is undermining job growth and economic growth. It is a serious problem that must be addressed."
Mr Slatyer said he welcomed the Howard Government's SPAM Bill 2003, recently passed in the Senate and to become law next year. But he said most spamming is done from off-shore and would not be stopped by the legislation. "The law doesn't apply to spammers off-shore. They are outside the net. Unfortunately, the Bill won't stop them," he said.
But he said spammers could be defeated by effective privacy software. "We need to work on solutions at the receivers' end rather than trying to solve the problem at the senders/spammers end," he said. "Once spammers know their emails aren't getting through they'll realise they're wasting their time and stop."
Privacy Edge, in conjunction with USA-based firm Privacy Inc, recently launched new privacy software which for the first time enables people using the web to control who handles their personal information, guarding against the theft and trading of their email address and personal details. The software is called My Privacy Policy (MPP). It uses new and adapted technologies and is backed by more than 40 US and international patents. MPP can be trialed for free and unconditionally for 30 days by going to www.privacyedge.net (*Sources: ABS, DEWR, NOIE, The Gartner Group, Atug, Privacy Edge)
Media inquiries: Michael Smith 0402 011 503
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WEB PRIVACY BREAKTHROUGH
From Tuesday December 9, individuals and companies can regain control of their personal and private information on the web.
New privacy software called My Privacy Policy (MPP) is being launched globally today. The software can be accessed at www.privacyedge.net and used for 30 days at no charge and unconditionally. An Australian company, Privacy Edge, is a partner in the venture. It is the only firm outside the USA to be given partner status.
MPP is the first product to give the user control over who handles their personal or confidential information when using the web.
"MPP allows you to interact online without divulging personal information," said Ron Slatyer, the Director of Privacy Edge.
"You create a unique email address for each online transaction that never links to your personal information. You set the privacy rules for this unique email address such as whether it can be shared with third parties and how long it can be used. All incoming email to this address is identified and blocked if it does not pass your privacy rules. This is a first.
"It gives you control over all web-based relationships. You set your own privacy rules for each relationship."
MPP protects against spammers and others stealing your email address, enforcing your right to remain private.
MPP was created by a team of researchers at Privacy Inc, a USA-based firm with input from Privacy Edge. The software uses new and adapted technologies and is backed by more than 40 US and international patents.
MPP will retail for $US 39.95 for a single copy.
Technical Data - How It Works
MPP has a Relationship Manager, which allows you to set the rules for each web-based relationship. MPP installs on your computer through a Java-based browser. MPP operates from a browsers' sidebar or can be activated automatically when a website or browser window prompts you for your personal information. The relationship rules established by you are applied and enforced on the server side. Server information can be premised-based (particularly beneficial for companies) or hosted by a service provider. Scaling requirements are similar to those exhibited for traditional mail server applications.
Inquiries: Ron Slatyer, Director Privacy Edge Pty Ltd - 03 95008225 or 0419274833.
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