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TECHNOLOGY

Seven in ten emails sent in Sweden are spam

Despite fresh figures showing that more than 70 percent of all emails sent in Sweden in June were spam, experts say that this is the lowest level circulated worldwide since 2008.

Seven in ten emails sent in Sweden are spam

“In June, 72 percent of emails sent in Sweden were spam compared to 87 percent for the same period last year,” analyst Paul Wood from the internet security company Symantec told news agency TT.

According to the company, the reason for the decrease in the amount of spam hitting our inboxes is the shut down of a major spam-sending botnet called Rustock in March.

A botnet is a collection of compromised computers, referred to as bots, making up a network.

The spam they generate looks like it is sent from ordinary people, either through a fake or hijacked account. However, when the recipient opens the email it turns out to be an advertisement.

After the shutdown of Rustock, spam levels have dropped significantly, which can be compared to figures from 2008, following a similar bust of another large botnet.

The most common spam circulating at the moment are pharmaceutical adverts, which accounted for 40 percent of all spam in June.

Spammers try to get recipients to buy their products by alluding to brand names or riding the waves of well-known internet phenomena. One such is the newly established Wikipharmacy, which offers “Viagra” for both men and women at a cheaper price than in real pharmacies.

“Spammers often like to sell fake products. They trick customers through using a brand that is familiar and adding internet concepts like Wiki”, said Wood to TT.

Spam accounted for 72.9 percent of emails sent across the globe in June, returning to the same figure as April earlier this year.

Worldwide 39.2 billion spam emails were sent in June this year, compared to the 121.5 billion were in circulation in June 2010, according to the Symantec’s annual intelligence report.

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LANDSLIDE

Swedish authorities: Worker negligence behind motorway landslide

Swedish authorities said on Thursday that worker negligence at a construction site was believed to be behind a landslide that tore apart a motorway in western Sweden in September.

Swedish authorities: Worker negligence behind motorway landslide

The landslide, which struck the E6 highway in Stenungsund, 50 kilometres north of Sweden’s second-largest city Gothenburg, ripped up a petrol station car park, overturned lorries and caved in the roof of a fast food restaurant.

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Prosecutor Daniel Veivo Pettersson said on Thursday he believed “human factors” were behind the landslide as “no natural cause” had been found during the investigation.

He told a press conference the landslide had been triggered by a nearby construction site where too much excavated material had been piled up, putting excessive strain on the ground below. 

“At this stage, we consider it negligent, in this case grossly negligent, to have placed so much excavated material on the site,” Pettersson said.

Pettersson added that three people were suspected of among other things gross negligence and causing bodily harm, adding that the investigation was still ongoing.

The worst-hit area covered around 100 metres by 150 metres, but the landslide affected an area of around 700 metres by 200 metres in total, according to emergency services.

Three people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after the collapse, according to authorities.

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