In computer news this week, 04/11/2001

In computer news this week, 04/16/2001

Fighting back at the Spammers .........

If you've been on the internet you've received spam - or unwanted junk mail. At first most people aren't that bothered by it, but after awhile it does get old. Once you get used to sending and receiving messages with people you know, you begin to understand the resentment most users have towards spam. And if you use the internet seriously for business, spam becomes a real annoyance. It wastes your time and money having to delete spam messages from your email, and often you will read a spam message that appears to be a legitimate email, but turns out to be spam.

Anyone can get on a spammer's email list simply by surfing the internet and going to sites you're interested it. Many sites put cookies on your computer so they can track your internet travels, and they sell your screenname and surfing patterns to spammers. Then you begin to get bombarded with spam without knowing why.

Spamming, or sending unsolicited misleading email is illegal, and about 20 states - inslucing Washington - have anti-spam laws in place now, but enforcing spam laws is a real problem. Most states and the federal government don't have the resources to do much, and the spammers already know this. A lot of spam is also sent with false email addresses and false points of origin, so it is impossible to track.

One good source of anti spam information is at www.antispamlist.org . Here you will find general info on spammers, what you can do, and monetary penalties the spammers are potentially facing, if caught. You can add your name to a list of email addresses that do not want to receive spam, and theoretically the more legitimate internet bulk-emailers - not spammers - might check this. There is also an online complaint form here which will be sent to the FTC, which supposedly then will attempt to prosecute the spammer. You type in a few lines of personal information and then paste in the spam email you received.

Washington state's own antispam site is at www.wa.gov/ago/junkemail/ and also has another place you can add your name to - a registry of Washington state residents who don't want to receive email. Supposedly spammers are supposed to check the names in this list before they sent out their spam.

Supposedly .....

Another tactic I've found effective is to send a copy of the spam back to the domain the spam came from - not back to the spam email address - abuse@hotmail.com; abuse@freenet.com, etc. I've found most domains do have an abuse address that responds to spam complaints. It also helps if you say that you've filed a complaint with the Washington state attorney general's office about spam coming from their domain, because these domains themselves can be prosecuted for permitting spamming.

Washington state's antispam law specificially focuses on false or misleading information in a message subject line, and a lot of spam has subjects that imply you know them or they are sending you information you requested.

So fight spam - don't put up with it, and remember that it won't go away by itself. If spammers weren't making a lot of money, it wouldn't be the problem it is.

For Raw Bytes, This is Frank Delaney

POB 222 Spangle, Wa 99031 (509)245-3736 624-7230