Kathleen Brunnett
SLM 521
June 12, 2003
Spam Activity
What is Spam?
The word Spam takes on a whole different meaning when associated with the Internet. Unsolicited email (Spam) forces unwanted and objectionable materials into personal mailboxes. This uninvited and sometimes offensive material costs Internet users billions of dollars annually. According to public comments from AOL “of the estimated 30 million email messages sent each day, about 30% on average was unsolicited commercial email.” Spam impacts all Internet users daily.
Spam is a problem to the average
Internet user
Spam affects various aspects of Internet use. Since sending bulk email is so inexpensive, the daily volume being transmitted keeps growing and growing. This heavy volume takes up CPU time, which then slows an ISP’s bandwidth which in turn alters access capabilities, speed and reliability. With the junk mail consuming a large percentage of the bandwidth, Internet providers are forced to increase the bandwidth while passing the cost onto the customer.
Another issue created by Spam are the filters that ISPs have instituted to combat the problems. Although a worthy attempt, these filters slow email transitions and Internet surfing.
Ways to prevent Spam from entering a
mailbox
Survey after survey indicates that “the overwhelming majority (often approaching 95%) of recipients don’t want to receive [Spam] messages.” Unfortunately the consumer is at the mercy of the spammers, and the spammers know it. These spammers use tricks to disguise the origin of the messages to get around the filters put in place.
There are a few suggestions to follow in order to prevent Spam from being sent to you.
1. One can ask to be “removed” from their list. Some emails contain instructions for how to be “removed” from the sender’s mailing list. Even after following the instructions, many consumers are met with “undeliverable address” or by responding it informs the sender that he/she has successfully reached an active account.
2. With research and backtracking, trace the message’s origin and inform the domain owners that spammers are using their sites. Sites such as www.internic.net/cgi-bin/whois are able to locate others that may have similar complaints as you. The phrase power in numbers applies here.
3. When ordering items on-line or filling out forms, create a separate email address from yahoo.com or hotmail.com. This will hopefully save your main email address from becoming bogged down with Spam.
4. Contact the system administrator and hope that they take the necessary
action to prevent the infiltration and abuse of your e-mail account.
5. Use a mail filter to reduce the amount of Spam that enters your mailbox.
Most e-mail accounts have settings, which activate a filter that sends bulk junk mail to a bulk mail account. Although this is not a failsafe option since spammers can disguise the junk mail, it will help alleviate some.
Government
Help to Alleviate Spam
There are currently no U.S. Federal laws specifically regarding Spam. However, “spammers have lost in Federal cases that cited other laws, such as those for trespass and forgery.” The fight to pass Federal laws specific to Spam must continue. Maryland has passed House Bill 915 in 2002 that “forbids sending commercial email with ‘unauthorized, misleading, or false information.’” This is a step in the right direction.
To assist in the fight against Spam, citizens should contact Federal and State legislators regarding their concerns. Another way is to support foundations that take up the cause against Spam. SpamCon Foundation is a California based non-profit corporation that informs the public about Spam and works with legislators nation wide.
Sources
About the Problem. Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE).
10 June 2003 <http://www.cauce.org/about/problem.shml>.
SpamCon Foundation Law Center. SpamCon Foundation. 11 June 2003