Here are some frequently asked questions concerning GA.net spam policy:

1. What is spam?
2. What does GA.net currently do to prevent spam?
3. Unsolicited Advertising
4. Chain Mail/Petition Hoaxes
5. What can I do to avoid spam?
6. What should I do if I end up receiving a lot of spam?
7. What are the consequences of using a GA.net account to spam others?

What is spam?

SPAM™ is, of course, a delicious canned meat product. On the Internet, however, the term spam indicates mass unsolicited e-mail. Sometimes referred to as "excessive multi-posting" (EMP), spam can be broken down into two main categories: unsolicited advertisting and chain mail/petition hoaxes.

What does GA.net currently do to prevent spam?

In addition to the various techniques you can use to prevent spam, GA.net is working hard to reduce the number of these unsolicited e-mails you receive. As a whole, GA.net typically receives hundreds of spam e-mail messages per minute. Naturally, we don't like receiving spam e-mail, so we have a group of servers whose sole purpose is to fight spam 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

These servers have a list of known spam sources on the Internet, and block e-mail from these known spam sources. Since we cannot track down every single last spam source, our server updates itself with an online database of known spam sources. This provides an accurate and up-to-date list of mail servers that we don't want to receive e-mail from, which our server then blocks. Of course, all of this work goes on behind the scenes, working its magic so you will hopefully see less unsolicited messages in your mailbox.

GA.net also offers customers powerful e-mail tools to manage their mail and weed out the spam, those tools are explained in our Spam: Busted. news article. More information on the history of GA.net's efforts to fight spam is available in the What is GA.net doing to reduce spam? article.

Unsolicited Advertising

Many companies, both legitimate and fraudulent, try to increase their revenue by e-mailing potential customers with advertisements. The ads usually highlight a product or service and provide ordering information or website links to the product or service’s homepage. Many companies get your address by purchasing large lists of e-mails from 3rd party vendors. The following are tips to help you recognize Unsolicited Advertising:

• It's sent from an e-mail address you don't know, one that usually looks convoluted.
• It has a subject header that:
  • is vague
  • addresses you as a "friend"
  • offers money or discounts
  • uses all capital letters or exclamation points
  • expresses that you "must read this!"
• It is marked in your inbox as urgent.

Chain Mail/Petition Hoaxes

E-mail hoaxes come in many forms, including chain letters, petitions, urban legends, give-aways, sympathy letters, and virus warnings. However, hoaxes have several things in common.

• The Hook: Hoaxes have a statement to hook the reader into reading the entire email. "Keep public television alive!", "This is a scientific study," and "Virus Alert!" are hooks that have been used to spread hoaxes.
  
  
• Hoaxes attempt to make their claims credible by citing real or fictitious sources. "As seen on cnn.com" or "According to Senate Bill 123" are examples of the credibility by association tactic used in hoaxes.
  
  
• Hoaxes use technical jargon to increase credibility. Phrases like "infinite binary loop," or "the boot sector of your hard drive" are used to impress readers by making the author appear to be a technical expert.
  
  
• The Threat: Once you are hooked, a hoax may use a threat, the promise of money, or sympathy as a motivator. Whatever the vehicle the goal is to get you to follow through with the request.
  
  
• The Request: The request is the ultimate goal of the hoax. Some request money. Most simply ask you to "Distribute this letter to as many people as possible." They never mention that the result clogs up the Internet and wastes time, or the fact that the message is a fake.

An excellent resource on email hoaxes is http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org .

What can I do to avoid spam?

Most spam victims have had their e-mail distributed by a 3rd party e-mail list reseller. How did you end up on one of these lists? Many Internet users accidently or trustingly enter their e-mails in online sign-up forms; you may be asked to fill out one of these forms in order to access a site, to sign up for a contest, to receive newsletters, or for any number of other reasons. The e-mails from these forms are then sold to companies that compile mass e-mail lists.

You can avoid ending up on one of these lists by:

• Thoroughly reading over any form you fill out, especially looking for things like "privacy policies" and references to "outside parties." If you see anything that says something like "we may at times distribute your contact information to partner companies in order to send you important notifications," you're likely to end up on a spam list. If you see guarantees that information will be used for demographic studies only and that no contact information will be sold or given to any outside party, you're probably safe.
  
  
• Make sure you haven't put a check box in anything that says "send me more info", "alert me to special offers," "pass my name and e-mail on to related companies," or anything similar. Be careful, as many forms START OUT with these boxes checked, forcing you to actually uncheck them in order NOT to receive their e-mails!
  
  
• If you want to enter a contest or gain access to a site that you think is a spam source, and do not think it will need your e-mail address for notification or special messages, you can always refuse to enter your e-mail address.
  
  
• It is also important not to reply to spam messages. Do not respond to the e-mail, even if it promises that you can be removed from a list, nor click on any of the links provided. Doing so will only confirm your address for the company distributing the spam, and may cause you to be added to more mailing lists.

What should I do if I end up receiving a lot of spam?

Most of us receive some spam every once in a while. However, if you are receiving large amounts of spam on a regular basis, or the spam is offensive or pornographic in nature, please let us know by following the instructions below, so that we may assist you. CTI does not condone or tolerate spam on our network, and we will do everything in our power to stop it from entering your inbox.

From within the Online Mailbox you can report an e-mail as spam by clicking the "Report as spam" link in the message. If you have already downloaded the message to your computer, please report spam by submitting the message headers online at http://www.ga.net/reportspam. Find your e-mail program in the list below, and click on it to learn how to get us the info we need.

• GA.net Online Mailbox
• Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft Outlook Express
• Netscape Messenger
• Eudora

GA.net Online Mailbox:

1. Open the e-mail message in question
2. Click on the "Report as spam" link.

Microsoft Outlook:

1. Open the e-mail in a separate window by double-clicking on it.
2. Click on View Options.
3. A Message Options window will come up with an Internet Headers section at the bottom.
4. Highlight all of the information in that section and Copy (Ctrl C) it.
5. Click Close.
6. Create a new e-mail message to abuse@ga.net.
7. Paste (Ctrl V) the information into the new e-mail and send it.

Microsoft Outlook Express:

1. Open the e-mail in question
2. Click on File Properties.
3. Select the Details tab.
4. You will see a window that says Internet Headers for this Message. Highlight all of the information in that section and Copy (Ctrl C) it.
5. Click Okay.
6. Create a new e-mail to abuse@ga.net.
7. Paste (Ctrl V) the information into the new e-mail and send it.

Netscape Messenger:

1. Open the e-mail in question
2. Click on View -> Headers -> All.
3. Highlight all of the information in the window and Copy (Ctrl C) it.
4. Close the sub-window.
5. Create a new e-mail message to abuse@ga.net .
6. Paste (Ctrl V) the information into the new e-mail and send it.

Eudora:

1. Open the e-mail in question.
2. Click on the Blah Blah Blah button (honestly!).
3. Highlight all of the information in the window and Copy (Ctrl C) it.
4. Close the sub-window.
5. Create a new e-mail to abuse@ga.net.
6. Paste (Ctrl V) the information into the new e-mail and send it.

If you have trouble viewing the full headers, please call technical support staff or submit a question online to our technical support staff for further assistance. Once we have all of the information about the spam that you received, we will attempt to trace the sender and prevent him/her from sending emails to your account in the future.

If you would like to learn more about appropriate ways to address a spam problem, visit http://www.spamcop.net. (Note: GA.net is not responsible in any way for the accuracy or advice in this site.)

Please do not harass the Spammer in any way, including via e-mail, fax, phone, or postal mail. Doing so can make you vulnerable to prosecution.

What are the consequences of using a GA.net account to spam others?

Your GA.net account will be revoked and you may open yourself to legal prosecution. Refer to our Acceptable Use Policy for more details.

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