Reducing Spam
Spam is a common, and often frustrating, side effect to having an
email account. Although you will probably not be able to eliminate it,
there are ways to reduce it.
What is spam?
Spam is the electronic version of “junk mail.” The term spam refers to
unwanted, email messages. Spam does not necessarily
contain viruses
How can you reduce the amount of spam?
There are some steps you can take to significantly reduce the amount
of spam you receive:
* Don’t give your email address out arbitrarily – Email addresses
have become so common that a space for them is often included on
any form that asks for your address–even comment cards at
restaurants. It seems harmless, so many people write them in the
space provided without realizing what could happen to that
information. For example, companies often enter the addresses into
a database so that they can keep track of their customers and the
customers’ preferences. Sometimes these lists are sold to or
shared with other companies, and suddenly you are receiving email
that you didn’t request.
* Check privacy policies - Before submitting your email address
online, look for a privacy policy. Most reputable sites will have
a link to their privacy policy from any form where you’re asked to
submit personal data. You should read this policy before
submitting your email address or any other personal information so
that you know what the owners of the site plan to do with the
information.
* Be aware of options selected by default – When you sign up for
some online accounts or services, there may be a section that
provides you with the option to receive email about other products
and services. Sometimes there are options selected by default, so
if you do not deselect them, you could begin to receive email from
lists those lists as well.
* Don’t spam other people – Be a responsible and considerate user.
Some people consider email forwards a type of spam, so be
selective with the messages you redistribute. Don’t forward every
message to everyone in your address book, and if someone asks that
you not forward messages to them, respect their request.
Courtesy US-CERT, a government organization.
