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The Barriers to Entry Into The Spamming World Are Lower Than Ever

Spam is unsolicited junk mail transmitted through an electronic messaging system to occupy digital space. Spam is a cause of great irritation for receivers as the content is often worthless and unnecessary. E-mail spam constitutes the number one form of spam flow. There are many types that riddle the communication media, spam exists in instant messaging, Usenet newsgroup, Web search engine, blogs, wiki, mobile phone messaging, online classified ads, social networking sites, television advertising and file sharing network.

Seeing as how it is usually perceived, the practice should have died out. Unfortunately, spam is one of the most economically viable options as it is basically free advertising. No operating costs for advertising are incurred, involvement is easy and there is little accountability. By ‘involvement is easy’, I mean anyone can join a spammer network and send mass emails to people. One of the reasons the volume of unsolicited mail has increased over the years.

More so the anger towards spammers has grown as the cost of spamming, low productivity and fraud, affects the public. Many innocent people have fallen victim to “special deals” and “amazing offers”.

Internet service providers have had to increase the capacity of their bandwidth to deal with spam, in addition to hiring extra employees to investigate the spam complaints.

Another problem with spam, it engages a lot of bandwidth and adds an excess load on mail servers leading to a delay in mail communication.

Receivers suffer terribly. They have to content with numerous unwanted solicitations for products or services they have no use for, instead of focusing on important messages from relevant people, they have to sort through the spam mail and label it.

Spam is also costly to organizations; tech support has to constantly fix computer systems plagued with overloaded junk mail. Additionally, money has to be spent on buying and managing security blockers to differentiate spam from client business mails. Nevertheless, client mail will inadvertently be marked as spam leading to loss of business and funds.

An Ineffective Regulation

To tackle the problem of spam, many States in America have devised legislation. The laws make it illegal to use false or misleading subject headings and to deliver spam through an unaware third party’s email system.

However, these laws have attracted the ire of certain groups who view laws against spamming as a step towards Government regulation. It is unlikely. Although many jurisdictions have laws in place to penalize spamming, it has not increased Government control over the internet. As a matter of fact, the laws have had little effect since spam is not considered a priority. Usually when a spammer is booked, it is because the aggrieved party is a propelling force behind the case.

There are many reasons spam laws in America are ineffective:
– 1. Law enforcement bodies do not have the resources to spare.
– 2. Laws are applicable only within a specified jurisdiction. If you receive spam from Nigeria, the person cannot be persecuted.
– 3. Very long judicial process, requiring months of involvement from the plaintiff.
– 4. Spammers are quick to uproot their business and move when they feel threatened.
– 5. It is often very difficult to track spammers. They use sophisticated methods to avoid spammer-tracking software.
– 6. Legal action offers no more than a slap on the wrist for spammers. It is not much of a deterrent.

Five Tips to Protect Yourself

Many people are of the opinion that putting a halt to spam can lead to loss of privacy, barriers to free expression and commercialization of e-mail. It is not the case. Many anti-spam blockades have been put in place and they have helped protect privacy while allowing people to function on the internet.

1) Learn

You should learn about the telemarketing laws that telemarketers and companies have to adhere to. With the information, you gain more control over your own data and you have the satisfaction of preventing companies from misusing your info.

2) Get a free email address dedicated to subscription websites

You should get a disposable e-mail address from mailshell.com or spamgourmet.com. You can list this email address on other sites or new contacts. When you start receiving spam or unwanted attention, immediately disable the disposable address.

3) Master your spam filter

Spam filters have greatly improved over the years, seeing as they are widely needed to discard spam from regular mail. You can list the contacts you will accept mail from and those you won’t in certain spam filters. Others insist the sender verify its existence by clicking on a specified link. The process of sending mail is slowed down a bit; however the spam filters are a good for your peace of mind. If you are not satisfied, try other selections. Some spam filters have an interesting way of operating. You underline what is acceptable email and what is spam. Based on the content of the two selections, it will apply the same judgment to future emails. Two of the best spam filters of this kind are SpamBayes and Mozilla Thunderbird.

4) Be as sly as a (fire)fox

What about bouncing your spam? MailWasher sends a notice to the sender of a spam email saying your email address does not exist. The spammers will remove you from their list, significantly decreasing the amount of spam you receive.

5) Be anonymous and safe on the web

– Surf the web via a proxy server that is easily attainable on numerous websites. It increases the difficulty of sites tracking down your original IP address. Every time you go online, you can change the IP address of your proxy server.
– Another alternative for online shopping, find a ghost company who will order items off the web for you so the ecommerce site does not have access to your contact details. JohnDoeWho.com is one such site that offers secure ordering. They will purchase the package and receive it. Then, send you the bill and package.
– Instant messaging is very popular and you love nothing better than to chat. If you would prefer privacy in your communication, find software that utilizes encrypted messaging. Pidgin, Miranda and Waste are software you can incorporate.

It takes a little effort to find the method that works for you, but ultimately you can be spam free without giving up many of the freedoms you enjoy. Spam control has more to do with saving time otherwise wasted on useless emails, than inhibiting the user. With the options available, you can be well protected.