Commentary on the latest Spam problems

Dear “Sick and tired of Spam” readers,

WebStream is always working to thwart Spam and Spammers. We have a zero tolerance towards Spam in regards to our network customers, but there is only so much that a network can do in light of the enormity of the problem. This is a problem that has reached incredible heights and has cost companies like WebStream billions in lost network time, bandwidth, etc. Over the years, Spammers have used all types of tricks to avoid filtering. The latest, is to constantly change the “From” name and “Subject” text, so that any filter set for a previous Spam will not work on the next Spam from the same organization because the information appears different. You may have also noticed that a lot of the Spam bodies are simple text, making it ever harder for a filter algorithm to make set determinations.

WebStream filters approximately up to 80% of the Spam that comes through and is always tweaking the software applications utilized to filter content a little more efficiently, without inadvertently filtering legit mail. WebStream employs many Spam filters and permissions within the network and subscribes to all the major black-lists (databases of known Spammers and their domains, IP numbers, etc.), but a real problem can exist where too much filtering starts to screen out actual valid emails. Also, you will note that all of the advice that you see on the FTC site (see below) that is recommended for securing a server, is already being done by WebStream….and then some.

The good news is that the US Government is starting to make examples of individuals and use newly enacted Anti-Spam laws to go after them. See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3033077/ for the latest information on Spam and related issues that affect us all. For more on what you can do, you can also visit the FTC site at http://www.ftc.gov/spam/ .

You can also go to hotmail.com, or aol.com and get a new email address, but after a while, that address too will fall victim to the Spammers. I am afraid that this is a major prevailing problem on the web that will not just go away, but will require more legal actions and enforcement. Time will tell what can be done legally. In the meantime, WebStream is doing all it can do to fight Spam and keep our network clean.