Before we learn about anti-spam software,
we need to first know what is spam. To put it
succinctly, spam is unsolicited and unwanted email.
Other names for spam are Unsolicited Bulk Mail,
Excessive Multi-Posting, and Unsolicited Commercial
email, in addition to the more common - spam mail, bulk
email or just junk mail. The advent of email brought in
an era of instant communication, where information
reaches our desktops, at negligible cost, and in no time
at all, from across the globe.
Along with the benefits, came the negative
aspects of email. For the multitudes of marketing hawks out
there, this was an opportunity to send unsolicited promotions of
their products, instantly, and at a very low cost. Today, spam
has reached such monumental proportions that 10 out of every 13
emails (76.9%) we receive are spam, one way or the other. This
is why anti-Spam filter has become a must have software for
almost all PC users.
Stopping Spam
Simply put, anti-spam software helps detect
spam. It is a software program that detects unsolicited and
unwanted e-mail, and prevents them from reaching your inbox.
Anti-Spam Filter software is also known by
many different names, such as: Spam Filters, Email Spam
Filtering, Spam Blocking Software, Anti-Spam Filter, Spam
Filtering Software, Spam Blockers, Bayesian Filters, and
Anti-Spam, among many others.
Anti-spam software is installed in your
machine to divert the spam coming in. If installed in the mail
server, you will never receive the spam, to begin with. The
filtering is configured based on a number of criteria. These
could be specific words in the subject line, in the body of the
message, and the type of attachments accompanying the mail. You
could arrange to filter out even the sender's email address.
Certain Internet Service Providers (ISPs) maintain a blacklist
of habitual spam senders - known as spammers. Anti-spam software
detects these blacklisted senders and rejects them per se.
Over time, anti-Spam filter has become
sophisticated to match with the wiles of the spammers. They use
techniques that do not trash genuine emails by effectively
analyzing the content of the email. Such software looks for
keywords and tries to interpret their meanings in the sentences.
Certain spam filters do not accept emails that come to you in
the form of "Undisclosed Recipients." They accept emails where
your email address is in the "to" or "cc" fields.
Anti-spam software has become an essential
part of your computer's security, to ensure that you only
receive the emails you want, and not others. To help eliminate
spam, look for anti-spam software that has the following
features, among many others:
Blocking emails using both lists and
preset filters - blocks specific addresses, watches subject
lines, and messages within
Updating filters automatically
Isolates spam outside of your inbox
Puts acceptable emails automatically into
your safe list
Monitors and filters multiple email
accounts
Now that you know the basics about the need
and importance of anti-Spam filter, select the right one for
your computer and get rid of the menace of Spam.
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