Analysts predict that volume of email on Internet, most of it junk, will grow another 50 percent in 2002.

That is a lot of email!

With estimates that number of Internet users is nearing 1 billion mark, amount of email floating around Internet will only continue to increase.

The question many people want to ask is, "Are there any sure-fire cures for all this junk email that we receive right now and any more that may appear in coming years?"

The short answer - Yes.

Make good use of your delete button! :-)

The long answer is - No.

No, there is no 100 percent cure for spam that plagues us all, X-rated or not. Not even pending federal legislation will make a significant dent on all that junk. But there are several ways to try and alleviate this problem.

Most email programs, including Microsoft's Outlook Express, have custom filtering features that are built into program but which are, more often than not, very much unused.

Mike,

Do you know what this means, and how it happened?

Joe

----- Original Message ----- From: <82451690@reports.spamcop.net> To: Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 7:18 PM Subject: [SpamCop (http://spamfilter.website101.com) id:82451690] [Astrology.ca] May 25 Horoscope > - SpamCop V1.3.3 -

> This message is brief for your comfort. Please follow links for details.

The following note come from VIGILANTE via SpamCop

> > I never signed up for this! Send CONFIRMATION emails BEFORE mindlessly signing people up to prevent unauthorized signups! >

My response to my list advertiser is next

Joe,

You have just become latest victim of spam vigilantism by a SpamCop member. It is a hate crime practiced by folks with little else to do but chase phantom criminals because they are so annoyed by REAL spammers. I guess you can't blame them since that is what obviates SpamFilter Service you provide. I have written previous articles on absolute stupidity of this vicious circle. You provide a valuable service with SpamFilter which is intended to stop spam directly. SpamCop thrives, in part, because your very worthwhile SpamFilter service is so necessary. I only wish more people would use SpamFilter and fewer used SpamCop.

Here is usual course of events, Joe.

I host a daily horoscope list that goes to 4500 people. Many times enthusiastic astrology list subscribers sign up friends and relatives without their permission, to share a particular horoscope with them. It's biggest drawback to hosting that list.

But I keep all subscription requests and can prove them. I've had run-ins with SpamCop before and they know about my list and that there are occasional complaints due to those unrequested sign-ups to list by over enthusiastic friends and relatives. As you can see, I am advertising SpamFilter in that daily horoscope and when a complaint goes to spamcop, their mindless automated system sends to every domain listed in email.

I've had trouble with it before and have a section in SpamFilter folder discussing it. Note links to SpamCops Abuses and multiple articles from other victims of so-called service. Most of us are list hosts or have our own newsletters. Read articles I have posted.

http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spamcop.net.html http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spamcops.html http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spammer_spamming.html

All that is required is to notify everyone involved of likely cause, that is friends signing up others without permission. I even directly ask people NOT to sign up others to avoid this trouble. But when it does happen, I always notify my web host, list host and any advertisers in list and it's becoming routine, unfortunately, because of how SpamCop works -- or I should say, doesn't work. That is reason I like your SpamFilter service so much. It removes crap to allow me more time to deal with real issues.

SpamCop is a real issue and I tire of vigilantes involved with them. Unfortunately, it seems not to go away, no matter how many list owners are attacked this way. I'm sending a copy of this to my Web Host, my List Host, to SpamCop, to you and to other advertisers, so that everyone is aware of stupidity involved and doesn't take matter too far. I'll be posting a copy of this in SpamFilter article file as well to further illustrate vigilante nature of SpamCop members.

Makes me think of lynchings and other hate crimes when people do this. Talk about knee-jerk reactions. Notice that complainer is masked by SpamCop? They complain anonymously and it's not possible to respond to them, even when you would like to explain it to them. Neither can you unsubscribe complainer. Usually they just continue to complain and you must continue to defend yourself so your host doesn't take action against you, your list or your site.

In this case I can prove person is subscribed, and if they did complaining directly to me, I could show them subscription and IP address of person that subscribed them. But they string up noose and attempt to hang object of their wrath, even if they ought to be stringing up friend or relative that subscribed them to list without their permission. Note also that there is a plainly visible and always available UNSUBSCRIBE link at bottom of list.

They don't unsubscribe, they would rather complain than to take direct action. It's all really very absurd.

Mike Banks Valentine

Joe wrote:

Mike, Do you know what this means, and how it happened. Joe

----- Original Message ----- From: <82451690@reports.spamcop.net> To: Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 7:18 PM Subject: [SpamCop (http://spamfilter.website101.com) id:82451690] [Astrology.ca] May 25 Horoscope > - SpamCop V1.3.3 -