About the Nonsense of a SPAM Filter
Probably every e-mail program has a SPAM filter that automatically places selected e-mails in a separate folder without asking the user first or submitting
them to him for review. And most e-mail users think nothing of it.
But it is imprudent and disadvantageous to use this filter.
Into the SPAM folder incoming mails are automatically put by the program, which are unwanted, annoying or even dangerous (JUNK or SPAM mails).
So much for the theory.
Sounds good at first - only: who decides ? The computer or the mail program cannot "think", they only act according to their default settings.
These default settings are either already included in the mail program, or the user can change them or set them himself.
In any case, the default settings are made by humans.
Sounds good too? Not really.
The basic settings for the SPAM filter are usually delivered with the program, i.e. they are made by programmers of the company that supplies the program.
A SPAM filter works in such a way that IP address, sender address, subject or even the entire contents of the mail are automatically filtered for "suspicious",
"inappropriate", or "blacklisted" keywords and content.
These filters also "learn" what e.g. means that a mail is already stored in the SPAM folder if certain words classified as "unwanted" are sent too often.
Or if your IP or e-mail address is too often stolen and misused by SPAMMERS.
If this would cause only mails that are really "SPAM" to end up in the SPAM folder, i.e. unsolicited bulk and advertising mails, or mails containing
dangerous attachments like viruses or trojans, that would be a fine thing. But unfortunately really dangerous mails are usually not recognized at all.
Rather, numerous factors play a role in the programming of the filters, which are not necessarily in the interests of the individual user - social, moral, and religious
aspects, political and legal requirements, economic considerations of the company, and some other more.
Even if the mail program allows the user to change the settings of his SPAM filter himself, this does not guarantee that some unwanted basic settings are not
retained nevertheless.
Why am I talking about this subject?
Because it happens quite often that guests or interested parties believe that I don't answer them. If then, weeks or months later, they have a look into their SPAM
folder, they might discover my mail. Not rarely then I get, much later, messages of the kind "Oh, sorry, I have your mail only now randomly found in my SPAM
folder..." But then it is often already much too late for the requested rubber date.
But many users even never look into their SPAM folder. That's the way the German comedian Dieter Nuhr once explained it with the example of household contents,
which one can store in the cellar: the things are actually still there, but in fact they are already gone...
Or, it's very bad, of course, if the SPAM filter is programmed so that mails are not only placed in the SPAM folder, but also there automatically will be deleted.
This is the perfect (self-)censorship - just as if a shredder has been installed in the letter box at the front door of your house, which, at the discretion of strangers,
does immediately destroy a part of the letters thrown in.
And one never finds out again what was sent, what was destroyed.
What to do? My advice:
- disable the SPAM filter and the SPAM mailbox in your mail program completely !
- once a day look into your inbox. View all mails.
Immediately delete mails that are SPAM or suspicious in any other way.
Open unclear mails and read them, but NEVER open an attachment if suspected. If still suspicious, delete immediately.
Keep only unsuspicious and wanted mails.
This is a small daily effort, but it is much better than missing important mails !
If you instead take the trouble to check your SPAM folder once a week or once a month or so, you won't have less work to do, but you will miss out on
possibly urgent mails.
- if you don't get an answer from me to your mail after about one week, send me an SMS and let me know that you sent me an e-mail
but you didn't get an answer.
With your e-mail address, your name used in the e-mail, and the date of the e-mail.
+49-152-54511185
I will then check and answer you in any case by SMS.
(please write me ONLY for this reason an SMS; I do not answer booking and other inquiries by SMS. Such inquiries ONLY by
e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
By the way
such filters are often used even before the mail reaches the user, i.e. already at the mail provider. But there is hardly anything you can do about it.
Although many providers offer so-called "white lists" in which you can explicitly request IPs or mail addresses - but who would take this trouble, and this doesn't
guarantee that other filter components won't still prevent the delivery (e.g. for "indecent" or "inappropriate" words, or simply for content that is not in the provider's
interest) .
If you notice such a behavior of your mail provider, only one thing helps: change the provider!
Especially the USA, but also Great Britain are pioneers of this paternalism, which is nothing else than censorship; not to mention the numerous autocracies and
dictatorships around the world.
If you have such a problem e.g. with a provider from the USA (most common e-mail providers are located in the US!), change to a German one,
they are usually more relaxed in this respect.
Questions to me ?
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