According to a survey by Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association (HKISPA) the productivity loss that junk emails bring to Hong Kong economy is estimated at about 10 billion HK dollars each year.

HKISPA investigated 11 Internet service providers, which represented 90 percent of HK Internet users, in order to estimate junk email situation in Hong Kong. The survey revealed that more than 50 percent of the emails that HK Internet users received were junk emails. Most of them were from western countries. Many were from the mainland. Only about 5 percent were from HK itself.

York Mok, chairman of HKISPA, pointed out the huge amount of junk email sent out were the reason that Internet service providers had to spend more in the purchasing of servers and filtering software and in the employment of personnel. The disposing of these junk emails and client complaints directly contributed to the rise of business cost.

He said the loss that junk emails brought to Hong Kong economy is about 10 billion HK dollars each year. Besides a citizen has to spend 6 minutes each day to dispose of junk emails, in the meantime junk emails cause troubles for Internet users. HKISPA therefore asks Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to legislate against junk emails.

(People's Daily January 16, 2004)