Stamp out spam: What we can do to reduce it13 April 2006
Spam. Better known to some people as pork-based meat in a can, it is now more likely to be recognised as irritating unsolicited emails that seem to arrive in our inboxes from nowhere.
Spam emails are at best simply an annoyance, clogging up email accounts and computer memory, as well slowing individual terminals and networks down. Although such unwanted post can seem fairly harmless, like a mosquito buzzing aggravatingly around the room they can have a sting in their tail.
Sending unsolicited email is one of the simplest ways to attack a company as enough messages can potentially cause a server to "fall over", affecting its email exchange ability. Such emails could also come with attachments containing viruses or links to other websites containing malicious code.
What is being done about it?
In March of this year, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) called upon all internet service providers (ISPs) to be involved in the formulation of practical guidelines for the penalisation of spammers. There are currently 32 countries worldwide with existing anti-spam legislation. However, it seems logical that rather than concentrating on individual spammers, the companies that supply the service through which unsolicited mail is sent should take more responsibility for stamping it out.
At the end of March, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) revealed the world's first legislative code that would require ISPs to offer spam filters to customers, as well as advice on how to manage unwanted messages and where to go to report them. In a bid to crack down on the impact on communications spam has, providers are encouraged to enforce limits on the volume of mail subscribers may send within any one time period. Under the guidelines, ISPs could be subject to fines if they are not deemed to be doing enough to address the spam problem.
What can we do?
While it looks likely that ISPs will play a greater role in the management and reduction of unsolicited mail in the future, there are steps that we can all take to help decrease the junk coming through our virtual letterboxes.
- Delete suspicious or unfamiliar looking email before opening it and take extra care when opening attachments.
- Install an up-to-date firewall and virus scanner, and sign up for an email package with a spam filter. These should be continually upgraded ¿ as protection improves, so do spamming tricks.
- Never give away personal or confidential details in an email unless you are sure the sender is legitimate.
- Use the BCC field when sending emails to lots of recipients to conceal their addresses from spammers.
- Beware of virus alert pop-ups, these can be fake and following their instructions could cause damage to the PC and network.
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