Tips to Reduce Spam

Spam


CAN-SPAM

Congress enacted a new law, entitled the "Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003" ("CAN-SPAM"), which took effect on January 1, 2004. It imposes limitations and penalties on the transmission of unsolicited commercial e-mail via the Internet. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the states' Attorneys General are responsible for enforcing most of the provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act.

The CAN-SPAM Act has three provisions that commercial e-mail senders must follow:

  • Labeling - Unsolicited e-mail must be clearly identified as solicitations or advertisements for products and services.

  • Offering an Opt-Out Option- Commercial e-mail senders must provide easily-accessible, legitimate ways for recipients to "opt-out" of receiving future messages from them.

  • Return Address - Unsolicited e- mail must contain legitimate return e-mail addresses, as well as the sender's postal address.

However, if you've previously consented to receiving unsolicited commercial e-mail, the CAN-SPAM Act has two additional requirements:

  • Commercial e-mail senders must use honest subject lines. Using misleading or bogus subject lines to trick readers into opening messages is not allowed.

  • Commercial e-mail senders must comply with the proposed "Do Not E-Mail Registry." (According to the CAN-SPAM Act, the FTC will submit a proposed plan to Congress within six months for a "Do Not E-Mail" list.)

Be aware that the CAN-SPAM Act does not make non-fraudulent spam unlawful. It regulates it.

Many states have already enacted anti-spam legislation. The CAN-SPAM Act is intended to supersede - or replace - most state or local anti-spam laws. (The exception is state laws that are related to deceptive trade practices or "computer crime." In these areas, state laws supersede the Act.)

How Can You Reduce the Amount of Spam that You Receive?

  • NEVER respond to Spam, not even to try to let them know that you do not want to receive anymore of their e-mails.  This just confirms that your e-mail address is a valid e-mail address and will just result in receiving even more Spam.
     
  • Log onto Direct Marketing Association.  It's a free service, designed to cut down on the amount of unsolicited commercial e-mail consumers receive in their e-mail in-boxes. 
     
  • Use the Block Sender and Message Rules features on your mail program to aid in reducing Spam.
     
  • Use I-Mail message processing rules (Change Processing Rules).  I-Mail allows you to choose to delete the e-mail from the server so you never see the e-mail in question (versus forwarded to your deleted folder as outlook express does).  You can use I-Mail to filter incoming e-mail using words, phrases, e-mail addresses, domain names, subjects, etc.  Contact Tech Support or use the I-mail help feature if you need more information. 
     

  • Don't display your e-mail address in public. This includes newsgroups, chat rooms, Websites, or in an online membership service's directory.
     

  • Check the privacy policy when submitting your e-mail address to any Website. Find out if the policy allows the company to sell your e-mail address.
     

  • Before you transmit personal information through a Website, make sure you read through and understand the entire form. Some Websites allow you to opt out of receiving e-mail from their partners - but you may have to uncheck a preselected box if you want to do so.
     

  • You may want to use two e-mail addresses - one for personal messages and one for newsgroups and chat rooms. Also consider using a disposable e-mail address service that creates a separate e-mail address that forwards messages to your permanent account. If one of the disposable addresses starts to receive spam, you can turn it off without affecting your permanent address.
     

  • Try using a unique e-mail address. Your choice of e-mail addresses may affect the amount of spam that you receive. A common name like "mjones" may get more spam that a more unique name like da110x110. Of course it's harder to remember an unusual e-mail address.

What Should You Do If You Receive Unsolicited or Deceptive E-Mail?

Report it to the FTC. Send a copy of unwanted or deceptive messages to uce@ftc.gov. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) voice; or 1-866-653-4261 TTY.