Signal Spam
Signal Spam is a French non-profit association founded in 2005 that operates a national spam and phishing reporting platform for French internet users. It aggregates user reports via browser extensions, email plugins, and mobile apps, then shares threat intelligence with French ISPs, ESPs, and public authorities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Signal Spam does
Signal Spam is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in 2005 and headquartered at 8 rue du Faubourg-Poissonnière, 75010 Paris. It operates a national platform that aggregates user reports of unsolicited emails, phishing attempts, and malicious links from French internet users through downloadable browser extensions (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera), email-client plugins (Outlook, Thunderbird, Mac Mail for macOS 13 and 14+), and an iOS mobile app. A centralized anti-spam engine analyzes reported message headers and source code, shares results with member email providers (Orange, Free, SFR, Laposte.net), and feeds a real-time phishing URL blocking service that distributes threat intelligence to Google Safe Browsing, Avast, and Microsoft Defender. A digital evidence repository supports judicial and regulatory action by French authorities, and a quarterly Spam Barometer publishes French-language threat trends.
The association is structured as a public-private partnership; its free consumer-facing service is delivered entirely through self-serve, community-led distribution with no direct sales force and no paid consumer tier. Membership comprises Sponsor, Contributor, and Support tiers drawn from major French ISPs and ESPs (Orange, SFR, Free, La Poste, OVHCloud, Brevo, Validity, Mailchimp), public authorities (CNIL, Gendarmerie, Préfecture de Police de Paris, CNAM, CNAV, AMF, FranceConnect), and industry bodies (M3AAWG, Global Cyber Alliance, AFNIC, Certified Sender Alliance, CNRS). The organization operates with 1–10 employees, processes approximately 9 million user reports per quarter (with a record 2.5 million in September 2022/2023), and has accumulated more than 590,000 cumulative module downloads. It is GDPR-compliant and holds no external equity funding, M&A history, or public listing.
Signal Spam firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Signal Spam
- Legal name
- Signal Spam
- Website
- https://signal-spam.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Signal Spam is a French non-profit association founded in 2005 that operates a national spam and phishing reporting platform for French internet users. It aggregates user reports via browser extensions, email plugins, and mobile apps, then shares threat intelligence with French ISPs, ESPs, and public authorities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Signal Spam industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Email Security and Anti-Spam Reporting
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Spam, Fake Engagement & Content Abuse Prevention (HDADALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Email Phishing & BEC Protection (HDADAKAB), Email Authentication & Domain Protection (DMARC/SPF/DKIM) (HDADAKAC)
Keywords
Where Signal Spam is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Signal Spam business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Member Contributions (Non-Profit): Signal Spam is a non-profit association (association loi 1901) funded by membership fees from a diverse ecosystem of private companies (ISPs, ESPs, cybersecurity vendors, email infrastructure providers) and public authorities. No revenue is generated from individual users, who receive the service free of charge.
- Public Funding / Institutional Support: As a public-private partnership, Signal Spam receives institutional support and participation from government authorities including CNIL, Police, Gendarmerie, and cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, which contribute to its operational capacity and mandate.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Signal Spam product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Signal Spam is a French non-profit association that operates a national spam and phishing reporting platform. Internet users download browser extensions (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera), email client plugins (Outlook, Thunderbird, Mac Mail), or an iOS app to one-click report unsolicited emails and phishing attempts. Reports are analyzed via a shared anti-spam engine and forwarded to French ISPs/ESPs, cybersecurity vendors, and public authorities (CNIL, Gendarmerie, Police) for action against spammers and phishing campaigns.
Product overview
Signal Spam is a non-profit association created in 2005 that operates a national spam and cyberthreat reporting platform. The offering consists of a web-based core platform (Espace Signalant) combined with downloadable modules/plugins for various browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera), email clients (Outlook, Thunderbird, MacOS Mail), and mobile devices (iOS). Users report spam and phishing through these modules, and the reports are analyzed using an anti-spam engine and shared with members including email providers, security companies, and authorities. The system also includes phishing URL blocking services that integrate with major blacklists and provides quarterly barometer reports on spam trends.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Signal Spam
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Signal Spam technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
Signal Spam partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- GIP ACYMA (cybermalveillance.gouv.fr)coreCybermalveillance.gouv.fr is a public institution that manages France's national cybersecurity awareness and victim assistance program. Signal Spam is a signatory of the CharteCyber and cooperates on the annual Cybermoi/s (European Cybersecurity Month) campaign.
- CNIL (Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés)coreCNIL is a regulatory authority member of Signal Spam and holds a seat on the Board of Directors. Signal Spam forwards spam reports to CNIL to support enforcement actions and sanctions against companies emitting unsolicited commercial emails. CNIL also provides legal and regulatory guidance to the association.
- Gendarmerie NationalecoreGendarmerie nationale is a public authority member of Signal Spam, providing access to spam reports as digital evidence for judicial proceedings. Signal Spam's database supports criminal investigations against spammers and cybercriminals.
- Préfecture de Police de PariscoreThe Prefecture de Police de Paris is a public authority member of Signal Spam, participating in the association's governance and leveraging spam report data for law enforcement purposes.
- OrangecoreOrange is a Sponsor Member of Signal Spam. Through a historical partnership, Orange automatically forwards spam reports from its Grand Public email service to Signal Spam. Orange is also a major French ISP and email provider actively involved in anti-spam filtering.
- SFRcoreSFR is a Contributor Member of Signal Spam and provides automatic forwarding of spam reports from SFR email users to the Signal Spam platform as part of the historical partnership with French email providers.
- La PostecoreLa Poste (Laposte.net) is a Sponsor Member of Signal Spam and provides automatic forwarding of spam reports from Laposte.net email users. La Poste also provides postal and digital identity services supporting the broader email ecosystem.
- OVHCloudcoreOVHCloud is a Sponsor Member of Signal Spam. As a major European cloud and hosting provider, OVHCloud participates in abuse management, takedown procedures for malicious domains, and the fight against botnets.
- FreecoreFree is a Contributor Member of Signal Spam. As a major French ISP, Free participates in the anti-spam ecosystem and contributes to filtering and abuse management initiatives.
- GandiminorGandi is a Support Member of Signal Spam. As a domain registrar, Gandi supports abuse management and takedown procedures for domains used in spam and phishing campaigns.
- AFNIC (Association Française pour le Nommage Internet en Coopération)coreAFNIC is a professional association member of Signal Spam. As the registry for the .fr TLD, AFNIC collaborates on best practices for domain-based email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and abuse management.
- Validity (formerly Return Path / HeaderA)coreValidity is a Sponsor Member of Signal Spam. As a leading email deliverability and security solutions provider, Validity contributes to Feedback Loop processing and email authentication best practices.
- Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)coreBrevo is a Sponsor Member of Signal Spam. As a major European email service provider and marketing automation platform, Brevo participates in Feedback Loop processing and enforces Signal Spam's deontology charter among its customers.
- M3AAWG (Messaging, Malware, Mobile, Anti-Abuse Working Group)coreSignal Spam is a member of M3AAWG, a global industry organization dedicated to combating email abuse, malware, and cyber threats through collaboration among service providers, security companies, and law enforcement.
- Global Cyber AlliancecoreSignal Spam is a member of the Global Cyber Alliance, an international nonprofit working to reduce cyber risk by developing and promoting effective best practices and tools, including email authentication (DMARC).
- AMF (Autorité des Marchés Financiers)minorThe Autorité des Marchés Financiers collaborates with Signal Spam in the fight against financial fraud and phishing that usurps legitimate financial brand identities, sharing intelligence on investment-related scams promoted via spam.
- FranceConnectminorFranceConnect collaborates with Signal Spam in the fight against fraud and phishing by sharing identity-related threat intelligence and coordinating responses to impersonation attacks on government digital services.
- Certified Sender AllianceminorCertified Sender Alliance is a professional association member of Signal Spam, promoting best practices in email marketing and sender certification across Europe.
- Intuit MailchimpcoreIntuit Mailchimp is a Contributor Member of Signal Spam. As a major global email marketing platform, Mailchimp participates in Feedback Loop processing and enforces unsubscribe and anti-spam best practices.
- CNAM (Caisse Nationale d'Assurance Maladie)coreCNAM is a public authority member of Signal Spam. As France's national health insurance fund, CNAM uses Signal Spam reports to identify and combat phishing campaigns that impersonate the health insurance system to defraud citizens.
- CNAV (Caisse Nationale d'Assurance Retraite)coreCNAV is a public authority member of Signal Spam. As France's national retirement insurance fund, CNAV leverages Signal Spam reports to detect and address phishing campaigns that impersonate retirement services.
- CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)minorCNRS is a research institution member of Signal Spam. Collaborates with Signal Spam on research initiatives to better understand the spam and phishing phenomenon and develop improved detection methodologies.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Signal Spam competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- MXToolbox: Network diagnostics and email deliverability platform that aggregates blacklist checks, including spam-report-derived reputation data. Adjacent in converting community-reported abuse data into operational tools for mail administrators, with overlap in feedback-loop-style intelligence.
- Cofense (formerly PhishMe): Enterprise-focused phishing detection and reporting platform with a human-reported phishing button. Overlaps with Signal Spam's one-click phishing reporting but targets corporate employees rather than consumers and monetizes via enterprise SaaS.
Broad incumbents
- Proofpoint: Global enterprise cybersecurity leader offering email filtering, anti-phishing, and threat intelligence at scale. Operates a broader commercial counterpart to Signal Spam's mission — protecting users from spam and phishing — but serves enterprises globally rather than French consumers.
Direct peers
- SURBL: Combined URI-based spam blocklist aggregating data from multiple sources to identify domains advertised in spam. Comparable mission of converting community-reported spam data into actionable blocklists consumed by email filters.
- PhishTank: Community-driven phishing URL verification and data-sharing platform. Highly comparable to Signal Spam's Phishing Protection Service — both aggregate community-submitted phishing reports and distribute verified URLs to security vendors and researchers globally.
- URIBL: Real-time URI-based DNS blocklists that aggregate spam and phishing domain data for use in mail filtering. Operates a similar community-data-threat-intelligence pipeline as Signal Spam, with overlap in distribution to security vendors.
- SpamCop: Long-standing community-based spam-reporting service (originally independent, now part of Cisco) that forwards user-submitted spam complaints to originating ISPs and mail administrators for takedown. Closest functional analogue to Signal Spam's core spam-reporting platform.
- abuse.net: Email abuse reporting service that helps users identify the correct abuse-handling contact for any internet domain and routes reports accordingly. Comparable mission of facilitating consumer spam/abuse reporting and routing complaints to authoritative handlers.
Regional players
- Vade (Hornetsecurity): French-headquartered email security vendor (now owned by Hornetsecurity) specializing in anti-phishing, anti-spear phishing, and threat intelligence. Direct overlap with Signal Spam's mission in the French market; Vade is also a Signal Spam partner/member, making it both a peer and a stakeholder.
Others
- Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG): International industry consortium aggregating phishing incident data from member organizations, including ISPs, ESPs, and financial institutions. Comparable data aggregation and member-share model to Signal Spam, but operates as a global industry body rather than a national consumer reporting service.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Signal Spam social profiles
Digital presenceSignal Spam compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Signal Spam financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Signal Spam leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Signal Spam funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Signal Spam M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Signal Spam
What does Signal Spam do?
Signal Spam is a French non-profit association that operates a national spam and phishing reporting platform. Internet users download browser extensions (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera), email client plugins (Outlook, Thunderbird, Mac Mail), or an iOS app to one-click report unsolicited emails and phishing attempts. Reports are analyzed via a shared anti-spam engine and forwarded to French ISPs/ESPs, cybersecurity vendors, and public authorities (CNIL, Gendarmerie, Police) for action against spammers and phishing campaigns.
Is Signal Spam a public or private company?
Signal Spam is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Signal Spam founded?
Signal Spam was founded in 2005. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Signal Spam based?
Signal Spam is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Signal Spam make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Member Contributions (Non-Profit) is the primary driver. The others are public Funding / Institutional Support.
Who are Signal Spam's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are MXToolbox and Cofense (formerly PhishMe). Proofpoint is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are SURBL, PhishTank, URIBL, SpamCop and abuse.net. Vade (Hornetsecurity) is listed as a regional player. Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) is listed as an others.
Does Signal Spam have an API?
No public API is recorded for Signal Spam.
What industry is Signal Spam in?
Signal Spam's product category is Email Security and Anti-Spam Reporting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDADALAG, Spam, Fake Engagement & Content Abuse Prevention, with a secondary code of HDADAKAB, Email Phishing & BEC Protection. Its SIC code is 4899.