What Is Spam?

Much of spam email is simply deceptive advertisements, attempting to entice the reader to click on links to view a product or service. Some spam emails, however, link to sites that place spy ware or viruses on your computer. In recent years, spam got so out of hand that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) presented the Can-Spam act, making most of these kinds of emails illegal.

Features

The FTC defines spam as, "unsolicited commercial email."

Types

Spam can be as benign as email advertisements for supplements, or as a way to trick people into clicking on links that install spy ware, key loggers and other malicious programs onto computers.

Legal

In the Can-Spam act, the FTC outlined regulations making all deceptive practices (hiding his identity, for instance, and intentionally sending bulk emails) often used by spammers illegal.

Prevention/Solution

Most email programs have spam filters that can be adjusted according to your preferences. Avoid, when you can, making your email address visible on publicly accessible websites (blog posts or website comment pages, for example).

Warning

Spam is often simply annoying, but some (especially with attachments) can also carry computer viruses, so avoid opening spam.

Resources

• The FTC resources on spam
• More information about spam