The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Internet Society have announced they will partner to combat the ever-present nuisance that is email spam.
Tech website V3 reports how the organisations hope joining forces will result in web traffic being “handed back to legitimate communications”.
Combating spam and protecting data are concerns which businesses all over the world have to face, as spam not only clogs up servers, but carries huge cost implications. The ITU’s Telecommunication Development Sector (TDS) will work with the Internet Society to try to find ways firms can prevent threats before they get to that stage.
Kathy Brown, president and CEO of the Internet Society, said she is looking forward to working with the ITU in pursuit of the objective to bridge the gaps in understanding so that access to the tools and knowledge to tackle spam is ubiquitous throughout the world.
She explained how the costs associated with spam related to wasted bandwidth, storage and network infrastructure, as well as increased security risks – which are heightened in emerging regions.
“We hope to make a real and positive impact on the world’s most vulnerable economies,” Brown said.
Brahima Sanou, director of the ITU TDS, added that the telecommunication industry and internet communities have made considerable progress in sharing best practices and developing technical tools to do away with spam, but claimed there is still some way to go.
“There is a need to build awareness in developing countries of the ongoing technical, industry and policy developments in this regard, and to centralise the knowledge and expertise available. This partnership aims to fill that need,” he elaborated.