Spam, spam, spam: how to stop it
How can we stop the endless stream of spam we receive in our mailbox? Journalist Warner van der Louw of Dutch newspaper ‘Trouw’ puts the question to Bart Custers, Professor of Law and Data Science at eLaw, Center for Law and Digital Technologies.
Journalist Warner van der Louw receives around 30 to 40 unwanted messages in his mailbox every day. These include all sorts of offers, ranging from ‘male enhancement’ to revolutionary diets. Who's behind all this spam and is it actually allowed? Van der Louw decided to write an article on the topic and in his search for expert advice, he contacted Bart Custers.
‘Spam actually already existed even before we had email, it was just sent by post’, says Professor Custers. ‘But now with email, it’s a lot cheaper and easier to send. With just one click you can send something to thousands of people, if not hundreds of thousands.’ What’s important is to look at the intentions of those sending these kinds of messages. Are these emails spam or are they phishing? Do they want me to actually order a weight-loss product, or do they just want me to click on something? ‘Often, they probably want you to click on something because malware will then be installed to retrieve your data,’ Custers says. So be very careful when clicking on links or attachments.
So what can you do about all this spam? These tips can help: change your password if you’ve been hacked, change the spelling of your name regularly (then you can see quicker when something is spam), unsubscribe to newsletters, train your spam filters, use single-use e-mail addresses, request that data is deleted, report spam to the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), or if all else fails, switch to using a new e-mail address.
The full article (€, in Dutch) is available on the website van Trouw.