WHAT IS SPAM?

Spam is junk e-mail.  Mail you don't want, didn't ask for, and don't need to see.  People or companies wasting your time, abusing and harming (in a way) the Internet itself.

It has to, and will be, stopped.  There are ways you can fight back.

You can actually help yourself and everyone else if you're a Microsoft Outlook user.  There's a great plug-in called SpamNet by a company named CloudMark that does wonders!  It's a must-have - geek's honor.

For everyone else, you have to setup filters.  Filters allow you to block certain keywords or specific FROM addresses.  Most local programs have these features available.

Web-based e-mail users are sometimes left a little more out in the open.  I've got an e-mail account with just about every service there is (I should make a list) and I haven't seen much in the way of help in the spam war.  They'll allow you to block a certain number of senders, but that's about it, and the block list reaches its max quickly.  CloudMark needs to make deals with all of the web-based providers.  Part of the problem; these companies sell your address to the people sending you the spam!  Anything to make a buck.  :(

Some links to spam resources

• http://www.cauce.org/
  CAUCE, The Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email is an ad hoc, all volunteer organization, created by Netizens to advocate for a legislative solution to the problem of UCE (a/k/a "spam").
• http://spam.abuse.net/
  The Network Abuse Clearinghouse is intended to help the Internet community to report and control network abuse and abusive users.
• http://spamcop.net/
  SpamCop's original spam reporting service will help you report spam quickly and accurately. Or choose from a variety of filtering options ranging from the easiest web-mail account to advanced network-wide spam blocking.

This page last updated 01/24/2008