Spam sent via instant messaging is set to become a major nuisance this year, with the number of such messages tripling from 400 million to 1.2 billion, according to research firm The Radicati Group.
The increase in IM spam, also called spim, will come about because of greater use of IM among businesses and a rapid increase in published IM names in corporate and public directories, a Radicati report says.
The number of business IM users more than doubled from 2002 to 2003, and is predicted to grow another 85% from 2003 to 2004, according to Ferris Research.
By 2007, the overall business IM market is expected to increase to 182 million users, representing a compound annual growth rate of 79%.
IM spammers are developing sophisticated software that automatically sends messages – which are mainly touting pornography – to millions of users, and which automatically can change screen names when the user blocks an IM attempt, according to Ferris.
Because of the intrusive nature of IM, spim might be more annoying to recipients but also more successful, Ferris says.
Legard is a correspondent with IDG News Service’s Australia bureau.
