New Study Shows Porn Spam is Effective

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Porn spam is 280 times more effective in getting surfers to click on the email than pharmaceutical spam, according to a new study by CipherTrust, a company that develops hardware and software to protect networks from spam and viruses.

The study shows that the click-through rate for spam promoting pornography is 5.6 percent, while spam promoting Viagra and other pharmaceuticals is .02 percent. Unsolicited spam emails promoting Rolex watches, ranks third, with a click-through rate of .0075 percent, according to the study.

“Successful spam is about impulse purchases,” Francis deSouza, a vice president at Symantec, told the New York Times. “Things like home mortgages have a lower success rate than things you’d buy on impulse. Things like Viagra, porn.”

According to some in the adult industry, spam is still a growing problem because most of those doing the spamming are overseas and live in countries with either lax or non-existent anti-spam legislation. Many companies contract spammers living in these countries to do the spamming for their businesses.

“Laws can’t stop spam and none ever will,” RageCash.com’s Operations Director Airek told XBIZ. “Most spammers don’t live in the U.S. I sometimes think the U.S. is alone in its fight to stop spam, so all they’re doing is effectively pushing it to other countries that won’t prosecute anyone. If the U.S. wanted to stop spam, they would shut down U.S.-based affiliate programs that take spam traffic.”

Others are not stunned by the study’s findings and echo the difficulty of stopping this global problem.

“I’m not surprised at the study’s findings at all,” Ric Garcia, operations director of MALLcom, an online retail site affiliate program, told XBIZ. “I mean, let’s face it, everyone is into porn in some way. Controlling spam would be extremely hard. What can be done? This issue is one that unfortunately hurts our industry, and we can’t really do much about it.”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Adult Networking Platform SpicyGigs.com Launches

SpicyGigs, a new adult industry networking platform, has officially launched.

Pineapple Support to Host 'Cream Pie Challenge' Fundraiser

Pineapple Support is hosting its Cream Pie Challenge through August to raise funds for mental health services for industry performers.

Kyrgyzstan President Signs Measure Outlawing Internet Porn

President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday signed into law legislation outlawing online adult content in the country.

NC Legislature Overrides Veto of Extreme Anti-Adult Industry Bill

The North Carolina state legislature on Tuesday voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of a bill imposing regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most creators and content.

Report: VPN Downloads Soar in UK Following Age Verification Deadline

Virtual private network apps, which can be used to circumvent geo-specific age verification requirements, are topping Apple App Store downloads in the U.K. in the wake of new Online Safety Act rules, the BBC is reporting.

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

Show More