1 Overview
Ø Definition
Ø Counter-Measure Overview
Ø Cautions
2 Policy
Ø OMF
Ø Service Provider
1 Definition & Counter-measure Overview
Ø Definition
Spam – junk email - is also called Unsolicited Commercial Email – UCE. It is always unwelcome and frequently offensive. It plays on human weaknesses – gullibility, greed, lust – and finds its victims in the infinitesimal percentage who respond to the postings. Therefore, its senders glean email addresses from any source they can. While many have established their own servers, they conceal their locations by relaying through intermediate servers which are insecurely set-up and managed.
Ø Counter-measure Overview
Users can reduce the amount of spam they receive by using a variety of techniques. They may modify their email addresses in headers so that human readers must edit out the spam trap. They may use filtering features found on their email software (email clients). They can use special software on their computers to scan and filter spam before they download messages. They can use spam filters available on their mail server. Or they may use third party software and/or routing services to filter their messages.
Ø Caution
Filtering depends on the use of words, phrases or combinations of characters that are frequently found in spam. However, if those same words or character combinations are used in legitimate messages, those will also be treated as spam.
Two examples: first, an October, 2002 Christian newsletter with an article approving sexual abstinence before marriage was classified as spam by the present writer’s email client. Second, when omf.net implemented global spam-filtering across all its mailboxes in September 2002, the immediate outcome was unacceptable losses of genuine messages. Some users experienced as much as a 60% reduction in their mail. When spam filtering was turned off, their mail volume returned to normal. Because identifying spam included unusual character-combinations, non-English messages were especially affected. Email systems transfer those language texts using the English alphabet and special characters. They are re-constituted as messages in the original language upon receipt, but to spam filters, they are junk mail.
This means that spam blocking carries the risk of discarding genuine messages. Users must beware of this, and use only techniques and filters in which the genuine message loss is acceptable to them.
A further caution is that there is no “once-for-all” solution to spam-blocking. Spammers are continually changing not only the ostensible source addresses but also refining their messages to avoid the filters. Constant vigilance and updating of the filters is needed.
2 Policy
Ø OMF
The omf.net email domain was established to facilitate OMF’s communications both within the Fellowship and with the Fellowship and Fellowship members’ constituency. Much of that communication is conducted through the use of email lists.
The lists operated by omf.net, mainly under the lists.omf.net sub-domain, include email addresses of members, staff and others who partner with us in particular regions, ministries and projects. Though messages distributed through these lists are unsolicited, they do not constitute spam, as the users’ association with the Fellowship constitutes agreement to accept OMF's messages.
Members use email groups or lists to share personal and ministry news to supporters and friends. These, too, do not constitute spam, unless members add to those lists email addresses of people with whom they have had no personal contact and who have indicated no interest in or willingness to receive those list postings. Thus, omf.net users should not arbitrarily add email addresses to their personal email distribution lists.
Please also se our Service Provider’s policy, below.
When omf.net was an in-house service, we were able to include an in-house spam blocking facility. Since the service has been out-sourced, this is no longer an option. Members may use the spam filter available on the omf.net server, either alone or in combination with other techniques or services described in below. However, remember that applying filters carries the risk of losing genuine messages because of the way that filters work.
Ø Service Provider
Our omf.net Service Provider enforces a strict Anti-Spamming Policy. In the terms of that policy , sending spam from our domain will result in the termination of our account. This underpins the Fellowship’s position on spam.