Eliminating Spam
Spam is everywhere these days. If you are tired of receiving messages from advertisers about debt consolidation, male sexual enhancements, and messages from the president of Congo asking you to help him launder $30,000,000 by giving him your bank account number, then this section is for you. When you are finished reading it, you will know how to stop spam from starting in the first place and how to filter the spam you already get.
Stopping spam in the first place
Users can do a lot of things when browsing the Internet to make sure that they do not end up receiving spam. But before anyone can prevent the actual receipt of spam, he or she needs to be aware of why spam is received in the first place. So, why is that annoying spam sent? To start off, the most common reason why users receive spam is because they submit their e-mail address to a Web site or company that starts sending them advertisements or sells their e-mail address. Usually, most Web sites notify you when they intend to sell your e-mail address, if they plan on doing so. This notification is commonly hidden away in the terms of service agreement or privacy policy-so much so that 99 percent of Web visitors check the agreement box but never actually take a look at the information.
This is by far the number one reason why users receive spam. They sign up for some service that promises them some great free offer, such as free movie tickets, and then they end up receiving tons of spam because they did not realize that they gave the Web site permission to sell their e-mail address to thousands of other companies. If they would have taken the time to read the terms of service agreement and the privacy policy, they would have found out that by using the so-called free service, they give the Web site permission to do whatever they want with your personal information.
Paying attention to the details is very important when you are using the Web. With the absence of useful laws that actually make a difference on certain Internet subjects such as spam, some companies take advantage of users. If you are considering signing up for a site and cannot find their terms of service or privacy policy, do not use their service. That lack of information should be a huge warning sign.
Another common reason why users end up with inboxes packed with spam is because they inadvertently sign up for various newsletters. Shop online a lot and end up creating many different accounts at different stores for purchase items. During the signup process, you are almost always asked if you would like to sign up for their deal-of-the-week newsletter or some other kind of promotional material. They want you to give them permission to send you more advertisements so that, it is hoped, you will buy from them again. You may think that this is nice, but when you have accounts at 20 different online stores, you could be getting a lot of messages that are just advertisements. When you are creating accounts at online shops or other Web sites, make sure that you uncheck all of the newsletter links, unless you really want to get one. These options are usually placed on the Web page in a location that you may overlook. The check boxes are checked on purpose so that those people that miss them automatically end up on the advertisement mailing list. Keep an eye out for these boxes and you will be able to cut down on spam.
If you follow the two tips just mentioned you will dramatically cut down on the amount of spam you receive. Another way to fight spam is to create separate e-mail accounts. There are several different Web sites on the Web from which you can get free e-mail. Create separate accounts on these free sites or request more mailboxes from your Internet Service Provider. Then, use each mailbox for a different purpose.
