Report: Spam Causing Web Users To Abandon E-Mail

"The impact of the CAN-SPAM legislation is mixed, but not very encouraging so far," the Pew Internet and American Life Project said in a statement.

In its survey, Pew found that 29 percent of e-mail users have reduced their use of e-mail because of spam, and 77 percent said spam has made the whole online experience "unpleasant."

"In all," the report said, "86 percent of e-mail users reported some level of distress with spam."

The Pew Project interviewed Web users between Feb. 3 and March 1 and found that a growing number of e-mail users reported their incoming spam had actually increased.

Congress approved the CAN-SPAM Act late last year. Critics of the legislation have complained that it won't be effective in slowing spam and even might be counterproductive because it pre-empted some proposed measures by states that had tougher antispam legislation in the works.

*This story courtesy of Techweb.com.