The Computer Teacher

Anyone who has an e-mail address has probably experienced the dreaded Junk Mail Syndrome known as SPAM. According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, SPAM is defined as the receipt of "unsolicited usually commercial E-mail sent to a large number of addresses." Yes, there are some options available for "controlling" SPAM.

For the most part, it is not illegal to send unsolicited e-mail messages much like the junk mail that appears everyday in your mailbox. However, some private Internet networks like AOL have taken on several adult material SPAMmers in court. AOL has won monetary awards and now blocks these SPAMmers from reaching AOL customers. While that sounds good, the reality is that there are many small bulk mailers on the Internet and blocking this group can be a daunting task.

Controlling SPAM can start by checking the Marketing Preferences set by your Internet service provider (ISP), such as AOL. What are Marketing Preferences, you ask? They give the service provider the right to send you unsolicited information until YOU change these preferences. It can be difficult to find this setting. As example, for those paying to use a Yahoo mail address (anybody@yahoo.com) get ready to dig deep. If you are set up to read e-mail from Outlook Express or another mail client, you must use your Web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer) to reach this page. Go to www.yahoo.com and select "e-mail." Once you have signed on with your Yahoo ID and Password look for the "Mail Options" link. From the next page, look for "Account Information" on the left-hand navigation panel. Yahoo will ask for your password. The next page lists all information about you on file. Under "Member Information" you will see in light blue type, "Click here to edit your marketing preferences." Read down the list and answer either Yes or No and make sure you "save" the changes. Assuming you have answered No for many of these questions, SPAM mail should slow down. This is much like putting your telephone number on the Connecticut's No Call List. [Note: For those using a free Yahoo mail address, it is conditioned upon accepting 3rd party e-mail information.] Marketing preference policies will vary from ISP to ISP. Check with your service provide for details on their preference policy.

Taking this to the next step requires anti-SPAM filtering software. There is a number of filtering software publishers. The important thing to remember is that this process is not perfect and may inadvertently filter e-mail messages that you may want to receive. Many of the following filtering software publishers only support POP3 mail accounts. One of the filtering software is Sunbelt Software iHateSpam (www.sunbelt-software.com/). This software works directly with your mail client; however, check their specification to make sure they support your particular e-mail client. Once installed, this software intercepts incoming SPAM mail and places it in the deleted mail folder. Initially, check the deleted folder to insure the right e-mails are being deleted…after inspection, keep this folder empty. The newer versions of Outlook (not Outlook Express) have built-in SPAM filters.

Want to get passionate about SPAMmers…there are a number of advocacy groups such as Junkbusters (www.junkbusters.com/) described as "….a privacy advocacy firm that helps people get rid of junk messages of all kinds: spam, telemarketing calls, unwanted junk mail, junk faxes, and more." CAUCE, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail (www.cauce.org/), is an all volunteer organization whose site purports to "…provide information about the problems of junk e-mail, some proposed solutions, and to provide resources for the Net Community to make informed choices about the issues surrounding junk e-mail."

Junk mail whether it arrives in your postal mailbox or your electronic e-mail box can be annoying. This article provides a number of options; however, nothing is perfect. Controlling SPAM mail is possible…review all options available through your Internet Service Provider.