What is SPAM?

SPAM is unsolicited commercial e-mail sent to a large number of addresses. If you have e-mail, you most likely have received SPAM. The amount of SPAM continues to increase and internet service providers strive to block and filter out as much SPAM as possible before it reaches their customers’ e-mail accounts. AOL prevents 2.5 billion pieces of e-mail per day from hitting their customers’ in-boxes.

In order to curtail the negative impact of SPAM, on December 16, 2003, President George W. Bush signed into legislation the CAN-SPAM Act (Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act). The CAN-SPAM Act a year later has had mixed results. According to the Direct Marketing Association, SPAM now accounts for 80% of all e-mail sent which is up from 50% – 60% before the law went into effect. For now, computer users need to take their own proactive measures to curtail the amount of SPAM landing in their in-boxes.

SPAM Resources

• The University of Richmond Information Services offers assistance on How to Set SPAM Filters to help decrease the amount of SPAM reaching your e-mail account.

• Visit How SPAM Works for a thorough explanation on the sources of SPAM, how they get your e-mail address, and how to stop SPAM.

• A helpful article from PC World explains how to Stop the SPAM and How to Filter Out Junk E-mail.

• If you are tired of dealing with SPAM, you are not alone. Here's an article from the Los Angeles Times about computer users who are leaving the internet No More Internet for Them.

-- LucilleLindamood - 22 Jun 2005