Press Release: Data protection: ‘Junk’ e-mail costs internet users EUR 10 billion a year worldwide – Commission study

Internet subscribers world-wide are unwittingly paying an estimated €10 billion a year in connection costs just to receive 'junk' e-mails, according to a study undertaken for the European Commission. The study, which provides detailed information on the junk mail (or 'spam') phenomenon in both the US and the European Union, forms part of the Commission's ongoing efforts to ensure that the development of the internet and e-commerce does not undermine Europe's rules on Internet privacy and data protection. The study also compares the different approaches adopted by EU Member States in implementing the EU Directives on data protection into national law.