Hiding from Spam

Spam, we can't seem to get away from it. Almost all are unwelcome and there is little we can do about it beyond relying on a decent filter. So what can you do when you want to evaluate some software or a service but you can't get access without providing your precious email address?

It's not unusual for me to evaluate software as part of my job, and one of my pet hates is being deluged by marketing emails from a company whose software I have rejected within a day or two of trying it. To stop it I have to unsubscribe, if it will let me, which is sometimes as simple as clicking a link but is often more long winded involving entering my email address and maybe them demanding I answer some questions which I usually ignore.

I understand why the company wants my email address, it provides them with a point of contact allowing the marketing machine to attempt to build a 'relationship' with me which goes beyond whatever the merits of what I'm evaluating may be. Naturally users are reluctant to pass over their email address and in response some companies have become more aggressive in ensuring they have a valid one.

A classic way of doing that is to send an email with a link to the software you want to download or temporary license keys that are needed to start the evaluation. In the case of a web site an email may be sent containing a link which activates the account, only after clicking the link are you able to view the content you wanted to see. In either case the result is the same, you have had to provide a valid email address in order to proceed and in so doing have given the company the means to communicate directly with you!

Use a Disposable Email Address

It's not always unwelcome and it could be argued that it's only polite to give your own email address. But there are occasions where perhaps you are unsure of the wisdom of giving away your email address and on those occasions using a disposable email address can be very useful. A throw away email address is exactly that, it's a temporary email address that can be activated for a short time. It can be provided to a web site instead of your regular email address, so that you can still get the email they insist on sending but they don't get your own email address.

There are many services that provide throw away email addresses, you can easily find them by using a search engine. One such site is www.mytrashmail.com , the site is free and you can make up the name of an email address and provide it along with the domain name that they specify. You don't even need an account unless you want more privacy. But the more unusual the name you make up the less likely someone else will have used it and hence the more likely it is that only you will see the emails sent to that address.