SPAM:
It's not just for breakfast anymore

  • What's Spam?
  • Why is everyone so mad about it?
  • How are these people getting my email address?
  • What do I do with it?
  • How do I quit getting it?
  • Isn't it illegal?
  • Where does Bauer Communications Network stand on Spam?

What's Spam?

"Spam" is the common name for Unsolicited Commercial Email, that junk mail you may get in your email box occasionally. Nobody's quite sure why it got called "Spam," but some folks have speculated that it has something to do with the nutritive value of that lovely lunchmeat. Spam is the term assigned to anything you get that you really did not ask for--you know, the Multilevel Marketing invitations, the "impress the ladies" messages, the "Direct Bulk Mailing is the way!" messages.

Why is everyone so mad about it?

A lot of people are mad about it because it's so obnoxious. Yes, it's just a little thing, but it adds up. Much like you finally get sick of the way your spouse or brother leaves the cap off the toothpaste every morning, you'll get sick of the same get-rich-quick-and-meet-women messages arriving in your box over, and over, and over again.

How are these people getting my email address?

Good question. A lot of Spammers cull email addresses from Usenet newsgroups, and some malevolent web designers write JavaScript scripts to pull the information from your web browser's mail and news preferences. Some public mailing lists have been mined for email addresses. Under NO circumstances does Bauer Communications Network sell your email address to a bulk mailer, or anybody else. That information is private.

What do I do with the Spam?

Well, you could just delete it, or you could send it back to the admins at the originating domain. I generally just delete it.

How do I quit getting it?

Once you're on a spammer's list, it's hard to get off it--unless you complain to the system administrators of the spammer's domain so many times that the spammer gets his account revoked.

Isn't Spam illegal?

Not yet, although there are a couple of bills on the floor to outlaw it in much the same way that unsolicited faxes were outlawed. Uber-spammer Sanford Wallace was recently fined $10,000 a day until he ceased sending out UCE. If you're interested in getting Spam outlawed, you should contact your State Representative and Senator about upcoming legislative bills to outlaw it.

Where does Bauer Communications Network stand on Spam?

Hopefully nowhere--it's terribly sticky and smells weird. :-) Seriously, Bauer Communications Network is strictly against Spam originating from our domain. Spam gives us all a bad reputation.