What is SPAM?
Spamming is the sending of electronic messages to a large number of recipients without their consent. The sender of such advertising is termed a spammer.
Examples:
Companies unknown to you have sent you SMS messages, faxes or mail for products or services. Someone you don't know declares their love for you in an SMS message and asks you to call back on an 090x number. Unknown persons want to send assets out of their country by using access data to your bank account. A message apparently signed by your bank asks you for your password or account number (this fraudulent practice is also known as phishing).
From 1 April 2007, spam is explicitly banned in Switzerland. This applies to all means of telecommunication - and therefore, for example, for e-mail, fax, SMS and the telephone (automatic calling equipment).
Downside of the mass mailing of messages:
- Private users' inboxes or SMS storage are clogged up with unsolicited messages.
- Sorting out unwanted and "proper" messages is onerous and time-consuming.
- The content of messages often constitutes a major unwanted intrusion into private life and is particularly harmful to young people if it is pornographic.
- The network infrastructure (e.g. the providers' mail servers) can become overloaded.