Noticing Less Spam Email This Week?

That's because you're receiving only 112 billion spam emails per day instead of the usual 190 billion.

The Washington Post reports (with some cool graphics) that several internet security firms took a major Northern California spam host offline on Tuesday and that the number of spam emails sent immediately plummeted by two-thirds. McColo Corp. was apparently the host and coordinator of nearly 75% of the world's spam email.

Don't get too excited, though: spammers are expected to have found a new host and to be back to business as usual within a few days.

Interestingly, the San Jose-based company has not yet been charged with any crimes, and the Post is unsure if there is any evidence of unlawful activity. Surely sending 75% of the world's emails about discount pharmaceuticals, designer goods, and porn is a crime.

The creepy thing to think is that you and I and nearly everyone you know is extremely likely to have gotten email from this company and its clients.

UPDATE: The botnets, networks of computers that have been hijacked to send spam without their owners knowing it, have adjusted to McColo's shutdown.