h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just before it goes, shove http:// in front of spamcop.net, there's a good chap.

good call, thanks

Hi, Dave, nice Entry.

What I'm missing is actually some advice on preventing to getting spammed, i.e. :

not using your e-mail address as a Usenet handle
not leaving your address on message boards or websites,
not replying to SPAM in any case
not choosing an easy-to-guess address @hotmail, yahoo etc.

Sure it's good to know how to track a spammer (although I could easily make it my day (and night) job) but the first and (IMO) best way to fight it is to prevent getting it at all.

JAIB

One more utility to look at for spam filtering at the inbox client level is SpamPal (http://www.spampal.org.uk) In addition to using most of the standard DNS Blacklists, you can also tag spam with the help of plugins including a Bayesian filter. It's FREE!!!

If you run a mail server, then the gold standard for spam control is SpamAssassin (which has, at it's core, a Bayesian engine for determining what is, and is not, spam).

Rule #1 for not encouraging spam

NEVER unsubscribe to anything to which you did not subscribe in the first place. Following unsubscribe links, replying to "remove" e-mail drop boxes, etc, only validates your e-mail address -- which makes your e-mail address more valuable to the spammers.

Spammers are liars. You can accept this as axiomatic.

Rule #2

Consider the Boulder pledge -- http://www.panix.com/~tbetz/boulder.shtml
Roger Ebert, the US Movie Critic, came up with this. In short, it is a pledge to never purchase anything that comes to you in an unsolicited e-mail.

PF

Excellent idea for an article. Keep up the good work. I can't contribute anything to it, alas, but I just wanted to say how useful it looks.