The "Dark Side" of E-Mail

Key points of warning:

• e-mail is not private - do not mistakenly assume what is said is secure
• e-mail often encourages inappropriate language due to its seeming anonymity
• e-mail may invite students to use inappropriate communications
• e-mail frequently results in spamming - unsolicited commercials being sent to an e-mail account
• some spamming may advertise adult content
• replying to spams is a BAD IDEA - it simply means that your e-mail address is "live".

Elaboration on the key points:

There are several words of warning about which teachers, students, and parents should be aware.  E-mail provides a vehicle in which people feel safe to say ANYTHING they wish because of the separation between sender and receiver.  It has been demonstrated that people are more likely to use inappropriate language and to speak with harsh, angry, or suggestive words in e-mail communication.  A term for harsh e-mail - particularly when sent to a large group such as a listserv - is called "flaming".   Employers often warn their employees to maintain professional standards of communication but the same warning needs to apply especially when there may be minors online.

Students feel the same sense of security and also have a false sense of privacy in their communication.  E-MAIL IS NOT PRIVATE.  In addition to passing through many computers on the Internet to reach its destination, messages may be accessed at the mail server (either at District Office, Hotmail, etc.) as part of the necessary and ongoing maintenance of the e-mail system.

Unsolicited e-mails may be sent to thousands of e-mail accounts by automated software.   Such electronic junk mail is called "spamming".   Many times an unsolicited e-mail will include a message such as "to avoid further unsolicited e-mail, contact..." followed by an e-mail address.  DON'T RESPOND - all this does is tell the sender that they found an active, working e-mail address where someone will READ their junk and is an address that can be sold to other spammers or reused.  BTW (by the way), the address to request your name be taken off the junk mailer's list is almost always imbedded within paragraphs of text near the end of the ad so one must read the ad to find out how to supposedly get taken off the list.

There are filters for spam.  Once an address has been identified as undesirable, all mail from that address may be automatically deleted by the filter software.  Of course, be careful that no further e-mails are ever going to be desired!

Additional information that may be relavent can be found at many websites devoted to anti-spamming.  For example, Democracy.Net provides information from the Federal Trade Commission and their deliberations regarding junk e-mail.

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Contents of this site are copyrighted (2000) by Dr. Blake West, Blue Valley Schools