Fight SPAM!!

Spam has taken over our lives to such an extent that users are now in a dilemma whether communication through email is at all a good idea. The first national standard set against bulk commercial email which was unsolicited was the 'Can Spam' bill signed by President Bush in December 2003. This bill stops senders of bulk commercial and unsolicited emails using misleading return addresses which adequate hide their identities and using dictionaries to produce such emails - incidentally this bill was voted by the Senate at 97 to 0. These emails must abide by rules like: carrying an opt out option and must not carry a confusing subject line. The law prohibits senders from accumulating addresses from sites and if he violates the law he may land up in jail for up to one year.

We ought to remember that large numbers of spam are now arriving from other countries. These emails which come from other countries are tougher to combat and control. The Internet is not bound by any country blockades so controlling this problem becomes more difficult thought the laws seem to be good. Is there any thing you could do for protection? Here are the top tried and tested rules for protection against spam:

Number 1: Avoid displaying your email address on the net at all cost. 'Spam spider' is a kind of product which looks for email addresses in the net and then gather them for sending subsequent emails. If you are interested, do a search on 'spam spider' and you will be amazed at what you get back. 'Spambots' and 'spam spiders' and similar rogues on the net is confronted ably by a site called WebPoison.org which is an open source project which just goes on sending them rubbish web pages which carry nonsense email addresses.

Number 2: Any spam blocking software can be of great help to stop the spam flow. You may also buy a professional version but whatever you do, get the software because it will save you time. The software is not foolproof, but they really do help although you will usually have to carry out some manual set up to block certain types of email.

Number 3: Use the multiple email address approach. Getting a free and new email address should not be a problem and each one can be used for varying communication needs and keep the other ones as back ups. It is something like providing your personal cell number to only your friends but all others have to contact you through your business number.

Number 4: One of the biggest problems with spam is the attachment which is an usual feature and these attachments could carry the viruses. But personal email is free country for spammers. Usually vendors of Firewall can offer this type of service.

Number 5: Did you know that email service providers are now offering 'bulk mail' baskets? If you find that your current configuration does not allow this, change the service provider. When you receive any email from an unknown person, just pile them up in a bulk email heap and select to let them into your circle. Spam Blocking software has this concept as well, but having extra layers seems critical these days, so it is worth looking into.