Fighting 'Spam'

Fighting ‘Spam’

By Karen Kaplan

May 12, 1999 12 AM PT

Activists seeking to stem the tide of unsolicited commercial e-mail unveiled a free program designed to help Internet users protect their electronic in-boxes from so-called spam. The Spam Recycling Center, online at https://www.spamrecycle.com, will collect and catalog junk e-mail to help software companies devise better filters to block junk e-mail. Questionable e-mail will also be forwarded to the Federal Trade Commission and other federal authorities. The center was created by the grass-roots Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email and a few firms and organizations that promote responsible Internet marketing and retailing. To encourage participation, spam recyclers will be eligible for discounts from online retailers.

Technology and the Internet

Karen Kaplan

Karen Kaplan covers science and medical research for the Los Angeles Times. She has been a member of the science team since 2005, including 13 years as an editor. Her first decade at The Times was spent covering technology in the Business section as both a reporter and editor. She grew up in San Diego and is a graduate of MIT and Columbia University.

Fighting ‘Spam’

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