the Origin of a word "spam"

the Word "spam" any user of a network knows today the Internet. And not only knows, but also quite often sees it in the electronic box. But it is far not everyone knows, that the word "spam" once did not associate in any way neither with the Internet, nor with electronic letters.

"Spam" is an acronym, a complex word. It was formed from truncated "spiced ham" - "a ham with spices", "sausage with pepper", "a pepper ham". Therefore "spam" it is possible to consider as direct transfer of English something like "spetchina" - "spices" plus "ham".

the History of this "ham" is that: in 1937 the American firm "Hormel Foods" has let out sausage forcemeat from the "illiquid" meat which has accumulated at factory of the third freshness. Americans did not begin to buy a non appetizing product, therefore the owner of corporation Mr. Hormel has launched scale marketing campaign, has widely advertised the product and has started to deliver the canned food in military departments and fleet.

In 1937 "Hormel Foods" has fed the American and allied armies with the production. Even in post-war England, among an economic crisis, the spam was the basic foodstuff of Englishmen. "Pink slices of meat", described Oruell in "1984" is and there was a spam of 1948. So the word has got value something disgusting, but inevitable.

In December, 1970 in 25th release of a sketch of theatrical group Monty Python's Flying Circus, visitors get to restaurant where in each dish the ham - "spam" contains. The waitress paints advantages of a spam. The chorus which has been changed clothes for Vikings, on a background roars "the Spam, a spam, a spam!", completely muffling conversations of visitors. So the term "spam" has started to associate with undesirable, annoying, a surplus information which "suppresses" even useful messages.

the Term "spam" in new value (persuasive electronic dispatch, post dust) has appeared in 1993. The manager of computer network Usenet Richard Depju has written the program which error has provoked on March, 31st, 1993 sending of two hundreds identical messages in one of conferences. Its dissatisfied interlocutors quickly have found the suitable name for persuasive messages - "spam".

It is possible to note also one of earliest mass "spams-dispatches": in April, 1984 legal office Canter&Siegel has employed the programmer who has written a simple aaplet, and places advertising of doubtful services of office at all conference all the same network Usenet.

Today the term "spam" (as well as its various derivatives - "to spam", "spamer" and so forth) was completely reoriented on e-mail and has entered into the wide use in spite of the fact that sausage products of Hormel with this name are issued in the USA till now.

UCE and UBE

Before to make our definition of the term "spam", it is necessary to tell some words about a spam in general and about that, how it understand in other countries.

Spam (the information not requested by the user) depending on the purposes and problems of the sender (spamer) can contain the commercial information or not have to it any relation. Thus, under the message maintenance distinguish a "commercial" spam - "unsolicited commercial e-mail" (the standard abbreviation - "UCE") and "noncommercial" - "unsolicited bulk e-mail" ("UBE").

In the USA the law of each staff frequently differently defines concept of nonrequested (commercial) post dispatch, and of each staff the legal status of the phenomenon of a spam has the nuances. Laws of the majority of states limit dispatch only not requested electronic letters connected with dispatch of the commercial information - UCE (not requested commercial letter). At the same time, in a number of states (for example, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana) restrictions have been entered both for UCE, and for UBE, i.e. for mass dispatches of any not requested electronic messages, irrespective of their character.

From a position of the organisation of the text of the electronic letter the spam can contain in the field "Subject" the information that is the given message (for example that it contains the advertising information), and in a letter body - data on what actions the addressee should undertake instructions in this connection the sender addresses to the addressee without the preliminary consent to that, and also further not to receive messages from the sender, i.e., to contain the information on the electronic address, a resource in a network the Internet or phone (usually it toll-free phone number) which are intended for the formal reply (the subscription termination) from the nonrequested information (function "opt-out").

These signs (instructions in the field Subject and presence of the mechanism of the formal reply) testify that the sender understands that the information offered it is imposed to addressees and that he honesty tries to lower possible negative influence on them. But very often spamer not only does not test desire to lower discomfort from a spam, but also falsification of the address of the sender, use of the address of the third party and falsification of headings of the message refuses responsibility for the actions by. All becomes it as much as possible to complicate possibility of an establishment of the person of the sender and acceptance against it corresponding measures.

spam Definition

According to definition "Kaspersky's Laboratory", the spam is an anonymous mass uninvited dispatch .

In this definition important each word included in it.

Anonymous : all suffer, basically, from automatic dispatches with the latent or forged return address.

Mass : these dispatches mass, and only they are the present business for spammers and the present problem for users.

Uninvited : obviously, subscription dispatches and conferences should not fall under our definition (though a condition of anonymity and so appreciably it guarantees).

In spam definition often include words "advertising" or "offer". It is not absolutely true - the considerable part of a spam does not pursue advertising or commercial objectives. There are dispatches of a political spam, there are "charitable" spam letters, is roguish ("Nigerian", fishing), "chained letters" - letters with the request to send acquaintances (horror stories, "happiness letters"), virus and other, not being the commercial enterprise.

Thus, all not requested offers which have got to a box, we divide on:

) a spam having all signs of anonymous mass dispatch,

) target offers.

the First need to be filtered and sometimes at once to delete - it agree to the politician of the company. The second also probably to filter, but with them it is necessary to address more cautiously.