Anyone who has ever had an email account knows the problems associated with spam including data recovery. These emails fill your inbox, making it hard to find the messages you actually want. They can also contain viruses that infect the computer as soon as they’re opened. In some cases they send recipients to a website where a phishing program steals personal information from the user’s computer, such as their credit card number of bank account information.

Those who receive spam emails typically do so because their email address was sold. Companies gather emails from a variety of sources including websites, message boards, forums and public mailing lists. They compile the lists based on age or other identifying markings and sell those to other companies. In some cases, the spam doesn’t contain viruses or other types of harmful information, but is still annoying. The spam mail is often known as electronic junk mail.

Comprehensive resources on SPAM include:

• Anti-Spam Research Group : a group devoted to finding ways to stop spam and trying out new techniques to prevent it from occurring.
• Net Abuse FAQ : contains simple answers to commonly asked questions about spam and spam research groups.
• Stop Spam FAQ : lists common questions about spam, with answers on preventing or reducing spam.
• Spam (Electronic) : provides information on the history of spam and attempts to stop spam.
• Spam : lists information on how spam gets past filters and ways for people to stop spam.
• Why am I Getting All This Spam? : reports the discoveries found during a six month study of spam.
• Report a Spam Result : a way for Google users to report spam and keep the search engine working.
• MIT Spam Conference : an annual conference held, involving those who want to reduce spam.
• Help with Spam and Phishing : covers easy ways for users to reduce their daily level of spam.
• Spam Laws : provides information on what spam is and how to stop it.
• How Spam Works : discusses how spam works, how the addresses are found and ways for people to stop spam.
• Spam : resource covering basic spam information in both the United States and other countries.
• FTC and Spam : contains the Federal Trade Commission’s information on spam and what they’re doing to stop it.
• Fight Spam on the Internet! : resource devoted to stopping spam by showing users how to reduce and prevent it.

There are several different groups working to stop the spread of spam, or at least reduce spam. One of those groups is known as the Anti-Spam Research Group. The ASRG, as it’s also known, hopes to reduce spam by showing users the best products on the market. They try every new product when it’s released, from expensive paid systems to free downloads from the internet and then lists their findings online. They also release documents throughout the year with their findings clearly described. The purpose of these groups is to reduce and prevent spam.