spam

Spam Overview

Spam is "...flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose to receive it." http://spam.abuse.net/spam/whatisspam.html. Spam has become an unwanted part of everyday e-mail. With this unwanted Spam there are several characteristics to look at, such as, the different types of Spam, ramifications of Spam, way people react to Spam, and issues surrounding Spam.

Origins of Spam

The word Spam came from the well-known food product of Spam made by Hormel. Spam was used for almost any occasion dealing with food preparation. After the much widely known name of Spam, it became associated with things that were pushed on people in abundant proportions with no end in sight. http://www.uselessknowledge.com/ll/hormel.shtml

Types of Spam

Usenet - deals with newsgroups
E-mail - deals with emails lists either stolen from Usenet posts, scanning the internet, and joining as many email list to gain access to those lists.

Ramifications of Spam

It doesn't cost the sender anything, but costs the receiver and the ISP time and space.
Time consuming for the recipient to weed through all the unwanted email among the more desirable email.
Attached files take up time and space, and may even have viruses.
Spam can be an avenue for hackers to gain personal info through virus programs in attached files.

Six (6) reasons why Spam is bad by:

The free ride - people who send the Spam don’t have to pay for the time and space the email takes up.
The "oceans of Spam'' problem - there are too many Spam e-mails.
The theft of resources - some of the email lists used are stolen, and how the Spam takes up time and space.
It's all garbage - the Spam is not relevant to the recipient.
They're crooks – Spammer’s do whatever necessary to get email lists.
It might be illegal – the stealing of email lists.

Ways People React to Spam

Delete
Read
Reply
Respond with threats or "bombing" the domain that the Spam was sent from

GVU (Graphics, Visualization, and Usability) WWW User Survey provides a break down of each reaction to Spam from gender, country, to age categories. http://www.gvu.gatech.edu/user_surveys/survey-1997-04/graphs/privacy/Attitudes_Towards_Spamming.html

What To Do About Spam:

Don’t respond to the Spam email. If you respond, indicates your email is an active account.
Delete the email
http://spam.abuse.net/spam/dontdo.html

Issues Surrounding Spamming

Privacy - the accessing of individual's information from a database, either legally or illegally – meaning that someone obtains peoples information by joining listservs legally or the information is stolen.
The cost of receiving Spammed email – who pays for it?
Freedom of Speech – is the use of Spam included?
how to regulate Spamming, what laws if any can be applied
who pays for the Spamming
how much to regulate
What is considered acceptable since there are legal listservs that send out bulk emails from time to time.

Federal Regulation

The Federal Government has enacted the UCEMA of 2001 to try and provide some guidelines for regulating how and when Spam can and should be used.

Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2001 (UCEMA)

Bill H.R. 718, 107th Congress (Feb. 14, 2001)

http://www.eff.org/Spam_cybersquatting_abuse/Spam/20010214_hr718_bill.html

REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSMISSION OF MESSAGES-
ENFORCEMENT OF POLICIES BY INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE PROVIDERS-
PROTECTION OF INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE PROVIDERS

Assessment

In the world of Email and newsgroups, Spam can be an annoyance and at times a certifiable threat to the normal functioning of an email server or an end user’s personal computer. There is a plethora of information concerning Spam ranging from policies for each ISP, each marketing company, and even the Government (local and federal). It is up to you the end user, and maybe at some point the actually sender to determine how you will proceed and deal with Spam.