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Q. What is Spam?
A. The technical definition of Spam is, “An electronic message where (1) the recipient's personal identity is irrelevant because the message is the same for all recipients, (2) the recipient has not granted permission for it to be sent, and (3) the message appears to the recipient to give a benefit to the sender.” It may be called UCE or unsolicited commercial e-mail.

Q. How many Spam messages are sent each day?
A. Currently, there are approximately 14 billion Spam messages sent each day throughout the world. That’s enough for each person in the world to receive two messages a day.

Q. Who sends Spam?
A. Spammers who flood your inbox on a daily basis are likely members of a relatively small group of professionals. These professionals are capable of sending hundreds of millions of e-mails each day and use high-tech evasive techniques to avoid detection.

Q. Who pays the spammers?
A. A wide variety of parties may be funding spam.

Q. Do national free speech laws protect Spam?
A. Not necessarily. Free speech guarantees you the right to say what you want within reason; it does not guarantee you a platform to make yourself heard. Most newspapers will take any commercial advertisement, subject to two requirements: (1) it must fit within their advertising guidelines and (2) the advertiser must pay for the costs of distribution; Most Spam fails to meet both of these requirements.

Q. What is fraudulent Spam?
A. Most Spam is just annoying, but some of it is illegal. One example is an e-mail that asks you to send money to several addresses in the letter, and promises big money if you follow the letter's instructions—this is a "pyramid scheme" and is illegal.

Q. How do I report fraudulent Spam?
A. If you believe an e-mail is fraudulent, report it to one of the following agencies:
· Federal Trade Commission: uce@ftc.gov or http://www.ftc.gov
· The National Fraud Information Center: 1-800-876-7060 or http://www.fraud.org
· Internet Fraud Complaint Center: http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp
· Knology Technical Support: isspam@iw.net

Q. How do spammers get my e-mail address?
A. You can be put on a spam list by:
· Using your e-mail address to purchase a product from an unsecure web site.
· Participating in on-line chats.
· Posting your e-mail address to newsgroups.
· Entering and requesting information from on-line contests or surveys.
· Posting your e-mail address on your web page for feedback as spammers can scan web sites for any posted e-mail addresses.
· Signing up for e-mail newsletters that do not have contact information.
· Giving your e-mail address when registering free/share-ware software or products.
· Some spammers are able to use commands to send spam to any common name address.

Q. What can I do to avoid Spam?
A. Although it is impossible to avoid spam entirely, here are some tips for trying to avoid it:
· Use an e-mail address that is different from your actual name. For example, if your name is Bob Smith, don’t use “bsmith@iw.net”; use a more un-original address such as, “bosm541@iw.net.”
· Read online forms and software registrations carefully—being sure to "opt-out" every time you can letting businesses know you don't want them sharing your e-mail address.
· Do not post your e-mail address on your website.
· Try to stay away from any e-mail lists such as newsletters and news groups.
· Do not forward mass e-mails or jokes with your e-mail address viewable.
· If you do receive a spam message DO NOT use the unsubscribe link—this can add your e-mail address to a valid spammers list.
· Do not respond to any spam messages using the reply button.
· As a last resort, you can always change your e-mail address.

Q. What is the new national spam law?
A. The Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM Act) requires unsolicited commercial e-mail messages to be labeled (though not by a standard method) and to include opt-out instructions. The sender's physical address must also be included in the e-mail. The Act prohibits the use of deceptive subject lines and false headers in messages. The Federal Trade Commission is authorized (but not required) to establish a “Do Not E-mail” registry, similar to the “Do Not Call” registry started in 2003. The Federal CAN-SPAM Act pre-empts state laws which require labels on unsolicited commercial e-mail or prohibit such messages entirely. Provisions merely addressing falsity and deception would remain in place. The CAN-SPAM Act takes effect on January 1, 2004.

Q. Does Knology have a Spam filter?
A. Yes. Knology installed a Spam filter in 2002. Our filter blocks over 10 million Spam e-mails a month for our users. We have over 900 different variables that our filter considers before labeling a message Spam. Here are a few examples of those variables:
· Comes From a known spam site.
· Contains standard spam phrases and syntax.
· Recipients fall into a spam pattern,
· Produced using a format typically associated with spam.

Q. Does Spam cost American consumers anything?
A. According to the Anti Spam Research Group, Spam costs the average residential e-mail user $30 to $50 a year and costs businesses $730 in loss of productivity for every employee with e-mail.

Q. How can I forward a message as an attachment?
A. To forward a message as an attachment, you need to be in the inbox of your mail program. Then right click on the e-mail to be forwarded and click on “Forward as Attachment.” In the “To:” line, fill in the appropriate e-mail address and click send.

Q. What is a Spam RBL list?
A. The RBL is a list of people or companies that have been caught spamming or doing other illegal activities via e-mail. Knology blocks all users on the RBL lists. If you find that you are on the RBL list and feel that you have not done anything wrong, please contact your hosting company to help you get off the list.

Q. I need to provide an e-mail address for feedback on my website and often times when filling out forms, what should I do?
A. Multiple e-mail addresses may be your solution. Have one address that you use just for business and another address that you post on your website and give out on forms and orders. That way your main address won’t be on spam lists.

One cautionary note: much of Spam type e-mail currently received is sent from areas outside of the United States. The CAN SPAM Act may be hard to enforce against this type of Spammer. All the more reason to utilize powerful anti-spam type software which Knology provides on its mail servers at no extra charge.