In an attempt to crack down on unsolicited commercial e-mail,
California Attorney General Bill Lockyer is asking residents
of the Golden State to send him samples of the illegal spam
clogging their inboxes.

The state plans to use the spam samples to prosecute bulk
e-mailers operating out of California, a Lockyer spokeswoman
said.

But one expert cautioned that the effort will do little to
reduce the state's e-mail headaches because California
spammers only generate about 5 percent of the spam sent
worldwide.