What is SPAM?
The definition of "spam"
is a tricky issue, with as many strongly held opinions as many
other age old questions such as "the number of angels who
can dance on the head of a pin" and "chicken versus egg."
For example, many define spam as unsolicited electronic mail sent
in bulk. Others believe "bulkness" is irrelevent, it's
merely a matter of whether the message sent was solicited. Still
others debate the importance of whether the message was commercial
in nature. -- Coalition
Against Unsolicited Commercial Email
If you are receiving email that you did not ask for
that attempts to sell you a product, send you to a commercial website,
or make ridiculous advertising promises then you are receiving
SPAM mail. We here at DigiTex believe that any email messages that
are sent to you without your permission and against your express
wishes is SPAM.
Keep in mind that emails infected with viruses are
not considered SPAM. The people who are infected with a virus have
no control over how the virus will attempt to send itself out.
Viruses are
discussed more here.
SPAM is incredibly difficult to deal with and is the
biggest problem that most users and ISPs will ever face on the
Internet today. Here at DigiTex.com we try to keep ahead
of the game by actively implementing blocks on domains that are
known to propagate SPAM. In order to keep this working we need
you to report SPAM to us whenever you receive it.
Sadly, there is no way to completely filter out all
SPAM, all of the time. There simply is no method available to either
users or Internet Service Providers that guarantees a 100% success
rate. We do, however, add to our lists every day and want to do
as much as possible to protect our users.
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Reporting SPAM
In order for us to make the SPAM stop we need some
information from the message in question.
This information is the "Complete Header Info."
Finding the Complete Header Info and getting it to us can be a
challenge. Below are instructions for how to get this to
us for each email program. Sending us anything other than
this information is not going to enable us to take the necessary
steps to block future emails from the same spammer.
Outlook Express
- Right-click on the SPAM message and select "Properties"
- In the window that opens, select the "Details"
tab
- Right-click in the area entitled "Internet
headers for this message" and select "Select All"
- Right-click in the same area, but select "Copy"
this time
- Open a New Message window and right click in the
empty body portion of the window (where you usually type your
message), select "Paste"
- Send the message to spamming@digitex.net
Netscape Communicator
- Right-click on the SPAM message and select "Forward
as Attachment"
- Send the New Message to spamming@digitex.net
We are capable of blocking entire domains from sending
any of our users email. In order for this to happen, we must
have received three complaints about the domain from three separate
users. We'll be glad to take this step in extreme cases when
nothing else appears to have helped. Again, send those complaints
to spamming@digitex.net
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Avoiding SPAM
The key to avoiding SPAM email is to
control your email address. You want to know who has your email
address on file, and who uses it on a regular basis. You want to
limit that list of people to friends and family and business contacts
(as needed). By limiting the list of people who know your email
address, the odds of getting SPAM mail are greatly reduced.
If you've ever signed up for a mailing
list or subscribed to a website and used your email address then
that address is no longer a "clean" address that can
be controlled. It's out there, on the Internet, and available to
be stolen, used, purchased, and re-sold to unscrupulous advertisers
that work exclusively online.
Special Steps
to Avoid SPAM:
1. Do not
use your email address to identify yourself on websites that require
registration.
2. Do not
allow your email address to be added or used on visible forward
lists.
For example,
your cousin forwards a cute email out to everyone they know
and your email address, along with everyone else's, is visible
to every single individual who received a copy of the email.
Your email address is also then visible to everyone else
that the recipients then forward that message to. It's a
vicious, vicious cycle.
3. Do not
publish your email address online anywhere. This includes sharing
it via Instant Messaging Programs and/or chat rooms. While it is
usually not a high risk to include your email address somewhere
on your homepage, keep in mind that strangers will access your
site and then they have your email address.
4. Never
click on the "Unsubscribe" link that is often included
in the SPAM email. Clicking on that link merely alerts the sender
to the fact that they have reached a live person. Then they re-sell
your address as a confirmed address, resulting in even more SPAM
emails. This is a general rule that may be broken in the case that
you actually remember signing up for the list or have genuinely
subscribed to a newsletter.
5. Do not
forward chain email. This special type of email is considered SPAM.
It is unsolicited, intrusive and may clog up email servers and
slow down Internet traffic.
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