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December 3, 2008 2:11:04 AM CST

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Spam, Curse of Web, Turns 30

Posted May 3, 08 11:06 AM CDT in Technology 

(Newser) – Spam turns 30 today, but don't break out the champagne just yet: The junk e-mail is as healthy as ever, frustrating tech experts desperate to blow out its candles. It all started on May 3, 1978, with a pitch for a new computer on a government-run precursor to the Internet. Even then, the reaction was fierce, the Washington Post says.

“This is a clear and flagrant abuse of the directory!” wrote an early spam victim. Despite Bill Gates’ prediction of spam-free email by now, at least 80% of it is spam, InformationWeek reports. One historian fears users will communicate only through sites like Facebook to avoid the nuisance, saying the end of unrestricted email “would be a real shame.”

Sources Washington Post, InformationWeek

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The real Spam is also enjoying a big milestone: it turns 70 this year.   (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)
The first spam message was sent to academics on May 3, 1978.   (Getty Images)
Bill Gates famously predicted that the war on spam would have been won by now.   (AP Photo/Kevin P. Casey)
The first spam message was sent out 30 years ago.   (Shutter Stock)
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