Anti Spam Law

Spam has taken over our lives to such an extent that users are now in a dilemma whether communication through email is at all a good idea. In 2003, President Bush signed the 'Can Spam' bill, in December of 2003 which is the first national standards around bulk unsolicited commercial e-mail. Voted by the Senate by a vote of 97 to 0 this bill bans senders of unsolicited and commercial emails which carry wrong return addresses to hide their identities and using dictionaries to create such mailers. Over and above, these emails must carry an opt out opportunity and can not have any subject line which waylays the recipient. The law prevents senders from scooping out addresses from sites so if you violate the law it is considered a crime and the punishment could entail up to one year in jail.

One major point that needs to be discussed about this: spam is now coming from other countries in ever-greater numbers. Because of their country of origin, these emails are difficult to fight. Because the Internet opens borders and thinks globally, these laws are fine and good, but do not stop the problem. Are there any rules which can save you from the situation? Use these 5 rules for protection against spam?

Number 1: Never put your email address on the internet. There are products called 'spam spider' which is used for scanning the internet for collecting e main addresses to build a mailing list. 'Spam spider' is the word you can search on the net, in case you are keen to go deeper and you would be surprised at what comes up. It is rather interesting that there is a site called WebPoison.org who can combat the menace of 'spambots' and 'spam spiders' effectively by sending them farcical web pages which contain meaningless email addresses.

Number 2: You could install software which blocks spam and there are plenty of programs which could get you started on this. You may also buy a professional version but whatever you do, get the software because it will save you time. While the soft certainly does not claim to provide guaranteed results, it can still be dependable but remember that some manual setting could be needed to bar some particular types of emails.

Number 3: Use the multiple email address approach. Having plenty of email addresses could mean that you use them for specific communications and have another few as back ups. Like you would like to give your personal cell number to your friends but all others get your official number.

Number 4: One of the biggest problems with spam is the attachment which is a usual feature and these attachments could carry the viruses. Companies are equipped with spam filters which protects you. Look for filters is your second job.

Number 5: email service providers are now providing 'bulk mail' packages. The idea is pretty easy to implement. When you receive any email from an unknown person, just pile them up in a bulk email heap and select to let them into your circle. Any spam blocking software would also run with the same principles but there is nothing like having a couple of extra precautions - so it is worth looking into.

Tab Solon is a freelance website designer who owns and runs mainly news sites on various topics such as http://www.legalmattersnow.info and http://www.businessissues1.info