Anti Spam - SpamUnit

Some new spam statistics have shed light on the fight to get rid of spam, and its perception by the public. Despite the continuing and growing problem of spam mail, internet users are increasingly saying that spam messages are not a big problem. 28% of those interviewed by the Pew Internet & American Life Project say that spam is no problem for them, even though they may receive it.

However, this perhaps indicates the growing trend of using spam protection software and spam filtering software. The majority of email users now use spam filters to keep their inboxes clean - but those who are left behind are increasingly skeptical of email, with 55% saying they mistrust e-mail messages. Some other findings were just as interesting: the poll showed that 37% said the amount of spam they receive had increased in their personal email accounts, while 29% reported the same for work email accounts.

Of course, thsoe who say spam is not a problem almost certainly would prefer to do without it entirely. By employing increased spam prevention software or even a spam gateway, they can see that it goes beyond not being a problem to not being a part of their life.

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In a lighter side of the growing spam problem, some complain that Google’s Gmail, a web mail service, is actually to effective at blocking some types of mass, automated mailings. As well as detecting spam messages and other forms of spam junk mail, Google apparently sometimes blocks its own “Google Alerts”, a news-alerting service.

A certain user had Google Alerts set up for his own name, but received little in his inbox, before one day noticing that Google’s antispam software had forwarded all these Alerts to his Junk Mail folder. Perhaps the inbuilt spam blocker software had read the messages as impersonal, yet mentioning his name - usually a sign of junk spam mail. In this instance, though, they were blocking information from their own company.

This shows how important it is to check one’s junk mail folder on a regular basis to ensure that it’s not only spam filtering that is taking place. While he only missed out on some news stories, some important information could have gone missing, too. Most forms of spam prevention software offer spam white list services where you can mark certain email senders as “safe”, ensuring that their e mail goes to your inbox, while not affecting the spam blocker as a whole. It’s always worthwhile to check that your spam whitelist is up to date.

See more at WebProNews

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Another reason to keep your email address secure comes from Slashdot. A Slashdot columnist points out that even an email address that you think is “secure” can end up on spam lists - and in the most unlikely ways. Seemingly, some companies do not protect their email address data well enough - spam virus software can harvest e-mail addresses from these systems and then inundate the innocent users with spam emails. The fact that a spam filter can block the mails isn’t the point - it’s that seemingly “secure” and reputable companies occasionally fall foul of these techniques.

Many people have multiple email addresses and don’t use their personal address when there’s a possibility of spam protection failing, or spam senders gaining that address. Instead, they use a “dummy” address for these purposes. It seems like sound advice, particularly when stopping spam from reaching your inbox can be a losing battle once it’s in the hand of spammers.

Most companies comply with the various data protection laws, but it’s better to be safe than sorry where spam prevention and virus protection are concerned. A free e mail address for signing online forms can be a worthwhile time investment.

Read full story at SlashDot

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Recently, CAUCE - the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email - saw a merger of its two North American offices. In an attempt to consolidate antispam measures, CAUCE US and CAUCE Canada have merged to form CAUCE North America.

CAUCE US, founded by Scott Hazen Mueller back in 1997, was dedicated to the eradication of spam both in the US and internationally. By merging with its Canadian sister arm, the organisation now hopes to be more effective in dealing with junk spam, which is very much an international problem.

CAUCE acts as an advocacy group for internet consumers who want to get rid of spam. It offers advice regarding anti spam software, spam firewalls and more, but its primary function is to fight against spam in the courts, in the hope of eliminating spam through Congress and state laws. Neil Schwartzman of the former Canadian bureau said, “CAUCE’s mission has always been about making the Internet safe for users, and promoting responsible Internet commerce,” showing that while CAUCE remains in favour of email marketing, it takes spam removal and spam filtering services very seriously.

See more: www.cauce.org for details of the merger and for a list of spam FAQs, as well as information on how to deal with spam.

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China is cracking down on spammers in the country in news that is sure to delight spamwatchers everywhere. An increasing amount of global spam - much of it reaching English-speaking countries - comes out of China, and the authorities are now looking to provide their own spam blacklist to help international efforts to stop spam. While spam black lists are not new, this is the first government-mandated attempt by China to curb the problem by giving ISPs the world over the tools they need to block spam IPs and spam mail addresses.

The spam list is available at www.Iscbl.Anti-spam.Cn and can be used in conjunction with Spamhaus blacklists and others. A non-spam whitelist was also posted, allowing those email marketers who stay on the right side of the law to be exempt from email spam blocking programs. This shows that the Chinese government is not totally against email marketing, but remains committed to spam prevention in China proper and also amongst Hong Kong spammers.

Spam firewall owners internationally greeted the news warmly but realise that much more still has to be done, particularly from countries with spam laws less stringent than those of China.

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