What is Spam?
Spam is the
Internet’s form of junk mail – the annoying e-mail messages that flood our
e-mail in-boxes. Most spam is commercial
advertising that costs very little to send.
It is important that we educate ourselves about spam so that we can
prevent it.
There are two main
types of spam:
1.
Cancellable
Usenet Spam is a single message sent to 20 or more Usenet newsgroups; Usenet
spam is aimed at people who read newsgroups but who rarely or never post or
supply their address.
2.
E-mail
spam targets individual users with direct mail messages. E-mail spam lists can be created by scanning
Usenet postings, stealing Internet mailing lists or searching the web for
addresses.
Why is Spam a
Problem?
Spam floods e-mail
in-boxes; it makes it difficult to read and weed out “real” and wanted e-mails. It can overload e-mail in-boxes, causing an
in-box to exceed its storage. Spam is
garbage and a waste of time for the recipient.
Some additional reasons spam is a problem are:
1.
In
theory, spam costs the receiver much more than the sender. According to one study, it takes a typical
person 10 seconds to identify and discard a message. It doesn’t seem like much, but it adds up! It’s especially frustrating to know you are
spending your time and money (for the Internet connection) going through junk
e-mail.
2.
Spammers
are often fraudulent – they trick people into opening their e-mail messages by
using a false subject line or by forging headers of messages.
How Can You
Prevent Spam?
There are a number
of things you can do to prevent spam:
1.
Never
respond to spam.
2.
Filter
spam out of your e-mail.
3.
Complain
to your Internet provider.
4.
Join CAUCE (Coalition Against Unsolicited
Commercial Email).
5.
Sign
up for spam protection through your e-mail provider.
What Can the
Government Do to Prevent Spam?
Fortunately, the
government has been somewhat able to regulate spam. In January 2004, the CAN-SPAM Act went into
effect in the
Below are some
government resources if you receive specific types of spam:
1.
Contact
the US Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov
if you receive fraudulent spam.
2.
Contact
the US Securities and Exchange Commission at enforcement@sec.gov if you receive spam
that promotes stocks.
3.
Contact
the FBI by completing the form located at https://tips.fbi.gov/
if you receive spam containing or advertising child pornography.