David Frith, Computer Daily News, p2, 28 May 2009

SYDNEY – Australia was the fourth most spammed country in the world during May, with spam levels rated at 89.7 percent, according to a report from Symantec’s MessageLabs.

It says this compares to 68.2 per cent spam in May 2008, meaning Australia has seen a 31 per cent increase in spam in the last 12 months

MessageLabs Intelligence said the majority of the May increase came from messages with very little content other than a subject line and valid hyperlink. Each hyperlink pointed to a different active profile on one of a number of major social networking environments.

MessageLabs said geographic location determines when people receive spam. Its analysis shows US residents see spam peak between 9 and 10am local time and a drop overnight; while Europeans are more likely to receive a steady stream of spam throughout the workday – and Australians and others in the Asia-Pacific region start their day with an inbox full of spam and see less trickling in throughout the day.