We recently passed an Internet milestone: April 12 marked the 20-year anniversary of commercialized spam. But even with two decades and trillions of unsolicited messages behind us, it seems there is still no end in sight.

There were certainly unsolicited messages sent before April 11, 1994, but that’s the day two lawyers pitched a green card lottery to the vast Usenet News audience. It’s been mostly downhill since.

You’ve probably been emailed by your fair share of African “royalty” or other foreign nationals seeking your assistance in transferring millions of dollars of wealth to the United States. Perhaps you’ve received email ads for Viagra or unsolicited pitches to for a low-interest mortgage or other loan.

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