| Spam was once simply just a nuisance but now | | | | or trying to solicit bank account details. Time is |
| has become a serious problem for individuals and | | | | money and it takes time to check through and |
| businesses alike. It is estimated that as much as | | | | delete the rubbish before you can start work on |
| 80% of e-mails circulating on the internet are | | | | the genuine emails. |
| spam. Besides clogging networks and facilitating | | | | Once more something had to be done. Spam |
| the spread of viruses or fraudulent schemes, | | | | filtering software came onto the market but the |
| spam is a major factor in undermining trust in the | | | | mail had to be downloaded to our e-mail inbox |
| Internet, thus slowing the growth of the digital | | | | before this filtering. Then thankfully the larger ISP |
| economy. | | | | (Internet Service Providers) took on the task of |
| There was a time when we received so much | | | | filtering the mails before we downloaded. This had |
| junk through the land mail that it made you | | | | a dramatic effect on the number of mails left to |
| wonder how long we would have trees left on | | | | download. |
| the planet. Something had to be done about it and | | | | Like virus protection, it is a continuing battle with |
| thankfully the preference services came to the | | | | the junk mailers changing their mails to get |
| rescue. Not only can we reduce the amount of | | | | through the filters. The junk emailers do all they |
| junk through the letter box but we can now stop | | | | can with titles and content to fool the filters with |
| most of those annoying telephone sales calls. | | | | the inevitable result that some spam still gets |
| In business especially, email began to take over | | | | through. |
| from land based mail. Remember how good it felt | | | | Now there is a simple and inexpensive solution |
| to receive that first email when you first set up | | | | that enables you to receive just valid email. |
| your email account? Then the second arrived and | | | | Services such as Spam Arrest make this possible. |
| as your friends and work contacts got to find | | | | It does not require that you install any software |
| you, you had to allocate time to respond. But | | | | on your own computer. The first time that you |
| wait, why is it taking so long for my emails to | | | | are sent a mail from a new address, the sender |
| come over from my server? Have I become so | | | | receives a one time request to visit a web site |
| popular that I have to go over to Broadband to | | | | that addresses them by name. They are asked |
| cope with the volume of my mail? Eventually the | | | | to confirm they sent the mail and type a word |
| server stops the mail drop and I get chance to | | | | that is displayed in an animated image that |
| look. Eighty percent junk! Trouble is the junk kept | | | | automated spam programs cannot decipher from |
| increasing in volume. Not only companies and | | | | this image. You then have the chance to vet the |
| individuals from your own country sending the | | | | rest and block further mails from undesirable |
| stuff, but now it is from all parts of the world. | | | | sources. Eventually, the vast majority of mails |
| Adding to the problem is that many could be | | | | you receive will be the genuine and useful emails |
| carrying a virus, could be threatening, pornographic | | | | that you want to see. |