SPAM Filtering Overview
- What is SPAM?
- What is UW Bothell doing about SPAM?
- Which e-mail addresses are we talking about?
- Why not just delete the suspected SPAM?
- How to manage suspected SPAM
- Choosing not to participate
- Getting help
What is SPAM?
SPAM is generally defined as an unsolicited mailing, usually to many people. Most SPAM is commercial advertising, often for dubious products, get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services.
What is UW Bothell doing about SPAM?
Information Technologies is implementing a SPAM filtering system that automatically checks each e-mail message that arrives from outside the UW Bothell network. If the filtering system suspects that the message is SPAM, the phrase ** SPAM? ** is added to the beginning of the subject line. The message is then sent on to the recipient. Here is an example of the flagged SPAM e-mail:
The SPAM flagging is done by a set of heuristics that rates the content of each message based on typical SPAM content and appearance. If a message surpasses the threshold set by IT, it is moved to your SPAM folder.
- For an overview of the SPAM flagging process, refer to How SPAM Flagging and Filtering Work.
- For details about how the flagging engine works, see the SPAM Assasin web site at http://spamassassin.org.
It is important to recognize that the problem of unsolicited commercial e-mail has no perfect solution, be it technological or legal. We hope this solution will serve the interests of our users, while preserving the openness that is essential for an academic institution.
Please note that our privacy policy has not changed. SPAM Assassin automatically reviews and flags each e-mail. For more information about UW e-mail policies, please refer to Knowing the Rules.
Which e-mail addresses are we talking about?
This filtering system works for all mail received at uwb.edu and bothell.washington.edu. It does not have any affect on mail received at u.washington.edu. UW Seattle Computing & Communications is working on a similar solution, however.
If you have a u.washington.edu address that is forwarded to a Bothell address, the mail will be filtered. Any mail coming into the UW Bothell mail server will be filtered. For more information about forwarding your e-mail from u.washington.edu, please refer to Forwarding your Homer mail.
Why not just delete the suspected SPAM?
The suspected SPAM is still sent to the intended recipient, rather than deleted, because SPAM filters are never perfect. It is possible that a message could be marked as SPAM that is actually something you want to read. If, for example, someone quite innocently sends you a message with a subject line in all caps followed by several exclamation points, the filter could suspect SPAM and mark it as such. Information Technologies wants all of your real mail to reach you.
How to manage suspected SPAM
Information Technologies recommends that you set up an Outlook rule that moves all suspected SPAM into a Junk Mail folder, which would look like this:
The suspected SPAM will not appear in your Inbox, but it will still be accessible to you. You can periodically check the suspected SPAM folder for "real" mail, and delete the SPAM. Please refer to the following instructions for setting up SPAM filters and deleting SPAM e-mail:
Can I choose not to participate?
Network Services can easily remove your e-mail account from SPAM Assassin if you choose not to participate. SPAM e-mail will not be flagged with **SPAM?**. To opt out, contact the Help Desk at 2-3456 or IT@uwb.edu.
Getting help
If you find that you are getting SPAM in your Inbox that it is not flagged with **SPAM?** in the subject line, please refer to the online instructions for Reporting SPAM.
If you have any problems with setting up a rule, or would like some assistance, please contact the Help Desk at (425) 352-3456 or IT@uwb.edu.