Street Spam and Email Spam

Spam is everywhere. The concept of spam really predates the internet email and the corresponding email filters. It's a phenomena that happens whenever advertisers can charge their target audience with the majority of what should be their costs.

Bulk email is an obvious example of this. It costs nearly nothing to send, but is a big mess to clean up. Spam faxes have historically been a major problem, but regulation has reduced the impact of them. Unwanted phone calls have also been reduced by new laws. Most spam email is in theory illegal, but the issue persists.

Another example that I've been fighting personally is, "street spam." It's basically litter posing as advertising. Perpetrators post yard-signs on public property, staple handbills to power poles and sometimes even leave pamphlets on cars. Most communities have laws regarding which of these activities are legal. Advertisers usually ignore these regulations.

Fortunately, being an activist against street spam is easier than combating email spam. There's no equivalency of an anti-spam filter for the issue, but if you see a sign, you can take it down. Obviously the amount of effort involved can quickly spiral out of control. I try to limit myself to advertisers who leave their litter within a few blocks of my house, or on my route of commute.

Citizens Against Ugly Street Spam - CAUSS is an organization of like minded individuals.

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