Spamming day and night

So much for anti-spam measures.

Despite a new federal law to regulate spam and countless millions Americans spend on software and services to check unwanted e-mail, spammers still have the upper hand. There are more, not fewer, come-ons cluttering one's e-mail box with no end in sight, according to Internet providers and other companies that have tracked e-mail traffic since the federal regulation went into effect Jan. 1.

Some experts believe the federal government's attempts to regulate spam simply pushed spammers outside the reach of U.S. law. That means you can expect to hear from most of the usual suspects: e-mails fretting about your love life, your hair loss, your weight gain, your inability to access cheap and unregulated prescription drugs as well as the many invitations to start a home-based business or assist a prince or a high government official who for some untold reason has millions in the bank in his home country but can't access the funds without minimal financial assistance from the likes of you.

The sad reality is, there are limited defenses against spam. It is one of the decided downsides of cyberspace, unless you're doing the spamming and trying to reach millions of people with a few keystrokes of the computer.

Experts say there are a few things e-mail users can do to spare themselves the daily barrage. Software filters and services aren't foolproof, but many programs can at least identify spam as such before you waste your time opening it.

E-mail users need to carefully monitor access to their e-mail addresses. This should be an important consideration in selecting an Internet provider.

Seemingly, the only sure means of combating spam is to delete it — again and again and again.

There may be one glimmer of hope, however. Some marketers insist they will comply with the federal guidelines, which require senders to include an accurate subject line and the sender's snail-mail address. Recipients must also be offered a means to decline or opt out of future e-mailings. It all sounds very good, in theory.

If anything, the government's attempts to regulate e-mail is a stark reminder how vast and how international cyberspace has become. Spam, like spilled milk, will find a way to seep around the edges of regulation.