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CPSR Spam Page

Computer Professionals for
Social Responsibility

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CPSR Spam Page

Spam on the Internet consists of two distinct types - Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) and massive off-topic crossposting on Usenet newsgroups or Listserv email lists. The former (UCE) is of main concern to CPSR, as it violates several key privacy principles that we hold dear:

Individuals should know about information collected about them;
they should be able to control the disemination of that information;
and direct marketers should only contact those who ask to be contacted (those who "opt in").

However, we also agree that the latter type is a nuisance, as it can have a negative impact on the effectiveness of this very inclusive communications medium called the Internet. For more information on Usenet Spam, check out The Net Abuse FAQ.

Two CPSR members have recently published informative articles on the net detailing how to combat Spam, and detailing their first-hand experiences fighting the good fight -- they are excellent resources if you intend to go that route yourself:

How to Complain About Spam, or, Put a Spammer in the Slammer by Phil Agre.
I Don't Like Spam: A Personal History and Analysis by Jeff Johnson.
See also Jeff Johnson's Op-Ed piece from the San Francisco Examiner.

Here are some other organizations and resources that are helpful in the fight against Spam:

The Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email works to encourage laws against Spam.
Fight Spam on the Internet! - a Spam Boycott campaign with concrete steps you can take.
SPAM - Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail from Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).
Blacklist of Internet Advertisers keeps track of the worst offenders.
SpamCop - a service that helps you trace and report spam to network administrators.
SPAM-L Mailing List discusses in detail individual cases of Spam.

Press Reports

Can anyone stop spam? - CNET Features, How To, December 15, 1997.
Controlling unsolicited bulk e-mail - SunWorld, August 1997.
Spam Me - Washington Post, Fast Forward, April 25, 1997.

Commercial Email Sites and Products

Yahoo! Groups has a very strict anti-spam policy; they employ further measures to protect email addresses in their archives and membership lists.
BrightMail - A company devoted to blocking Spam to its clients mailboxes using unique technology and ISP alliances.

E-mail webmaster@cpsr.org with questions or comments.

Archived CPSR Information
Created before October 2004