mediacrit.com

Here’s the good news about the Internet. In just 12 short years (since the advent of the first graphical web browsers in 1992 that quickly led to Netscape and Explorer), 75 percent of households in the U.S. now have access to the Internet. E-mail is by far the most popular activity on the Internet, and one that brings most people to the Internet for the first time. At its most basic level, the Internet proves that humans like to communicate.

Here’s the bad news about the Internet. At its most basic level, the Internet also proves that it’s human to try to exploit people and make money. Although the Internet still has great potential as the information superhighway, it is increasingly becoming a mall. Not one of those upscale malls with elevator music, but the most crass, relentless marketplace ever – something of a cross between telemarketers, five card monte artists, and the infamous sex vendors of Bangkok’s Patpong Road.

The problem for America is that just after Congress finally cracked down on telemarketers with Do Not Call legislation (anyone who likes uninterrupted dinners must appreciate this), the problems of commercial annoyances are only getting worse for online America.

If you are online, it’s probably no surprise to you that by last month, spam accounted for 63 percent of all e-mail volume (up from 46 percent a year ago, and 25 percent just two years ago), according to Brightmail.com. A report at the end of last year stated that the average e-mail user receives 54.4 unwanted e-mail messages a day. Even worse, researchers predict spam levels will only increase – perhaps 75 percent of all e-mail volume by next year.

The U.S. federal government’s Can-Spam Act (the short name for the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act) became effective January 1 of this year. It requires all commercial e-mail to include a commercial e-mail notice, the advertiser’s street address and a method for recipients to opt out of future mailings. But, it has not stopped the spam tsunami.

In fact, as I write this, I just got four new e-mails, all varieties of the same old spam: one from a man who wants help in transferring $142 million dollars from South Africa to the U.S. (you would think if this guy really had this much money, they wouldn’t need to e-mail anonymous people for help), one from Korean pornographers (I can’t read what it says, but I suppose that’s besides the point), one from “Goodmornig Loan” (note to spammer: don’t offer me a loan if you can’t spell “Good morning”), and one from Woori Capital (where “You will meet best credit service.” I don’t think so.)

I have at least 30 different filters set on my e-mail—for example, one blocking messages originating from hanmail.net, because Korean spam is driving me nuts, and another blocking messages from ibm.com because they have refused to remove me from their mailing list. I end up wasting a lot of time setting new filters, deleting the junk from my inbox, and opening unwanted mail. I’m not alone. Internet consultants estimate that American business loses $4 to 9 billion a year in productivity due to spam.

There’s no single solution to eliminating spam. Message filters (which you can do with your e-mail program) eliminate some spam, but if not done well might delete some desired messages. Filtering messages at the Internet service provider level can be more effective, since it can stop a known spammer before thousands of users have to deal with it individually.

But, as an individual, there are other things one can do, such as avoiding membership in mailing lists, which are a common conduit for spam. Also, avoid putting your e-mail address your website, if you have one, because spammers regularly troll web pages for e-mail addresses. You can also do your part by not opening spam (since the sender can know electronically if you did open it), by always unchecking boxes on Web page forms that try to gain your approval for e-mail message updates, and—by all means—not helping strangers from other continents open U.S. bank accounts, even if they promise you a 35 percent cut of their millions.