My Internet Service Provider has a spam filter that usually catches and deletes most spam before it enters my inbox. However, every once and a while, spam does get through. For whatever reason, my ISP’s spam blocking software doesn’t identify it as spam and allows it to enter my inbox. For some people it’s a minor annoyance and for others it’s more of a problem. I only receive maybe one or two spam messages per week whereas I have friends who receive seven per day. At that point, you may want to consider adding additional spam fighting software to your arsenal. I found a nice free utility called SPAMFighter that you can download here. It installs itself and adds a toolbar to either Outlook, Outlook Express, or Windows Mail – whichever you use. The toolbar has both a “block” and “unblock” button that you use to identify spam that has penetrated the filter. The way SPAMfilter works is that whenever you receive a message, SPAMfighter checks it’s server database on the Internet of known current spam messages. If it’s known spam, then it’s put in the “spam” folder in your mail program. The “known spam” list is maintained by people just like you who are identifying spam by clicking the “block” button when they identify a spam message that gets through the filter. So you can see, it’s a community effort. If you check the spam folder and there’s a message that was tagged as spam that shouldn’t have been, you can select the message and click the “unblock” button to allow future messages from that sender through to your inbox. When you install SPAMfighter you get one month free of their PRO version. After one month you are downgraded to the “standard” version which is still functional but doesn’t include things like phone support or unlimited whitelisting.
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Tags: email, security, spam, Technology
One Response to “Fighting Spam With Free Software”
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June 1st, 2008 at 9:21 pm
SpamFighter is indeed a nice product. So easy to install. Use it together with http://www.mytrashmail.com They provide free temporary email.