Spam, once a mere nuisance, has become a serious problem for individuals and businesses alike. As much as 80% of e-mails circulating on the internet are estimated to be spam, and the threat is spreading to other technologies such as mobile phones and instant messaging services. Besides clogging networks and facilitating the spread of viruses or fraudulent schemes, spam is a major factor in undermining trust in the Internet, thus slowing the growth of the digital economy.

To support the development of an inclusive and coherent answer to the spam issue, the OECD, through its ad hoc Spam Task Force, has launched an Anti-Spam “Toolkit” as the first step in a broader initiative to help policy makers, regulators and industry players orient their policies relating to spam solutions and restore trust in the Internet and e-mail.

The OECD Anti-Spam Toolkit is available as a PDF document (PDF 932.5Kb) or as a user-friendly e-book (html) :

  Anti-Spam Toolkit of Recommended Policies and Measures - Executive Summary

  Anti-Spam Toolkit Report :

— Introduction
— Element I - Anti-Spam Regulation
— Element II - Enforcement
— Element III - Industry-Driven initiatives
— Element IV - Anti-Spam Technologies
— Element V - Education and Awareness
— Element VI - Co-operative Partnerships against spam
— Element VII - Spam Measurement
— Element VIII - Global Co-operation & Concluding remarks

  Annexes :

— Annex I - OECD Recommendation on Cross-Border Co-operation in the Enforcement of Laws against Spam (French version)

— Annex II - BIAC-MAAWG Best Practices for Internet Service Providers and Network Operators

— Annex III - BIAC Best Practices for Email Marketing

— Annex IV - GSM Association Mobile Code of Practices (PDF)

— Annex V - LAP/CNSA Proforma for the Referral of Spam Investigations (Word)

These pages provide a repository of resources and information on anti-spam activities and solutions at the international level. The Toolkit is in constant evolution, and contributions from all stakeholders are very welcome (spam.project at oecd.org).