What is spam?

Spam is unsolicited or 'junk' electronic messaging, usually advertising. Spam is most often sent out by automated programs or 'bots'.

Spam is most often associated with email. However, there are other forms of spam you may encounter, such as comment spam and web form spam.

How do I manage spam?

Managing spam will depend on what form of spam you a getting.

Email Spam can be managed by ensuring your email client is update to date, and your security level set to an appropriate level to weed out spam. However, there is a risk that some legitimate messages might be mistakenly marked as 'spam' and removed from your inbox if your security is too high.

Comment or Web Form Spam can be managed by adding an image verification application to forms users fill out. These applications produce a small image containing some text – if the text is filled out correctly, the message is submitted. If it is incorrect, it is not submitted. Spam programs find it difficult to read the text in the image, and often fail this verification process.