Spam Leaves a Bad Taste in your Mouth

Spam is out of control. These unsolicited electronic messages are unwanted, annoying and often pornographic. Industry observers estimate that spam comprises 70% of all global e-mail on the Web and the question is, is there anything we can do about it?

Even though there is legislation to contain the propagation of Spam, it is fairly ineffective. Most Spam is generated outside of the United States and therefore our laws do not apply. So while you can’t keep spam completely out of your computer, here are a few tips to help you control the volume:

1) Low cost or free Internet accounts such as Hotmail, Yahoo or AOL will increase your odds of getting junk mail. These providers work hard to block it and are as frustrated in their attempts as their subscribers. Due to the millions who use these services, it is just too tempting to spammers who are tireless in experimenting with random combinations of names and letters to break through to you and who have gotten better and better at accomplishing this.

Consider an Internet service provider (ISP) that provides spam filtration and ask how it works. How do they identify the spam and how do they contain it? If the ISP is more pricey (therefore fewer subscribers) and has good filtration mechanisms in place, it will not be as high on the spammer list for attack.

There are other ways to protect yourself. For example, don't publicize your e-mail account. The more you use news groups, bulletin boards and chat rooms, the more you expose yourself.

Pick a highly unusual and difficult e-mail address. The more bizarre, the more difficult it will be to find you. Of course, the trade-off is that a difficult e-mail address is always hard to remember.
Be aware of the “unsubscribe” feature or “remove” button. It may actually create more junk mail. Unscrupulous spammers are asking you to unsubscribe only to validate your e-mail address. If you respond, they know you are a real person and then your e-mail address is added to a list and sold. Only unsubscribe to sources that you recognize as being legitimate.

While there is increasing attention around the country for controlling unsolicited phone calls, so far there has been relatively little attention paid to the electronic version. Spam is getting worse. There is more of it and it is becoming increasingly distasteful and vulgar.

While Spam cannot be stopped, it can be managed. Good luck fighting the battle.

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