Spam Filtering
You are probably well-acquainted with the annoying emails that turn out to be unwanted advertisements mysteriously landing in your inbox. However, some of these emails are more than that; they can transmit adware, spyware, or viruses onto your hard-drive. On top of that, since many people already know that - they may inadvertently delete legitimate emails, thinking they too are spam.
Suprisingly, even in 2008, spam is increasing with no end in site. Independent studies (and personal experience!) show that this is mainly due to spam evolving into new forms faster than before.
Spam filtering programs can be effective in combating this problem. Effective programs go beyond just blocking unwanted spam and organize your email folders, making sure that your inbox consists only of legitimate mail.
An effective anti-spam program such as AntiSpamAssistant.com, as seen on NBC, CNN, and CNET achieves all of this by creating white and black lists. The white list contains only the approved email addresses you previously set. Incoming emails that do not match your white list or known spam addresses are automatically sent to the black list. They are the either blocked, deleted, or filed depending on your settings.
Another trait of a good anti-spam program is that it blocks 'Sporn' - spammed pornorgraphy. Many programs also filter out all adult content or just block adult images, depending on your settings.
In this ever evolving world, it is important to be wary of unsoliciated emails containing MP3's, PDF documents, and JPEG files. However, the internet is supposed to be a tool for communication and freedom; therefore we cannot let spam get the best of us. We must fight and conquer it with effective anti-spam programs!
