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Dear eWEEK:
Laws have been made to protect computer users against viruses, yet we still have anti-virus software. Dollars spent on anti-spam software are climbing to the same level as anti-virus.
Truth is that you can use many of the existing laws to stop spammers if you had the time and resources, and there can never be a law that truly protects us—just laws meant to protect us.
Did you read Peter Coffees article “Safe IT is Possible” in the May 12 issue? Why not apply this practice to e-mail servers? How about an e-mail server that will allow only e-mail from those .com, .biz, .org sites listed in a master list?
If you really want to save people time, tell them these simple rules.
- Do not use the preview function of the e-mail client
- Do not open an e-mail if you dont recognize the sender or are skeptical of the subject matter.
- Do not send or open e-cards i.e. Birthday, Holiday etc. without first getting the recipients permission or reading the non-disclosure policy fully and understanding the implications.
- Always print and read disclosure agreements when providing an e-mail address on-line.
- Do not open attachments directly while in an e-mail client. Save to disk then open only if you are certain who sent the file and why.
- Do not post messages on public areas such as newsgroups (This is usually where the smut senders get them).
- Do not use company e-mail addresses for personal e-mail. Most companies already include this clause as part of their electronic communications acceptable use policies.
- Include the following message as part of the signature: Please do not submit the sender s e-mail address to any entity who does not have a need to know. Forwarding this e-mail or its contents to any entity without the knowlege of the sender may subject the sender to unwanted e-mail. This may be used to identify the recipient as a violator of the sender s “Right to Privacy” thereby subjecting the recipient to a potential lawsuit.
Edward G. Leaders