Why do I get so much spam and unwanted email in my inbox? And how can I get rid of it?

This article first appeared in The Conversation.

Spam might not have brought an end to the internet or email, as some dire predictions in the early 2000s claimed it could — but it’s still a massive pain.

Despite all the spam being removed by spam-filtering technologies, most people still receive spam every day. How do these messages end up flooding our inboxes? And are there any legal consequences for the senders?

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What is spam?

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) noted in 2004 “there does not appear to be a widely agreed and workable definition for spam” across jurisdictions — and this remains true today.

That said, “spam” generally refers to unsolicited electronic messages. These are often sent in bulk and frequently advertise goods or services. It also includes scamming and phishing messages, according to the OECD.