CIT plans to cut dramatically the spam you receive (unless you really want it)

By Jeff Truelsen

As part of an effort to slow the flood of spam e-mail, Cornell Information Technologies (CIT) will begin rejecting some incoming messages. CIT has been running Sophos PureMessage, a spam-identifying system, in full production for more than a year. PureMessage assigns a spam-probability score to each incoming message, based on a complex set of rules. Starting Feb. 1, any message rated 90 percent or higher will be rejected, and users will never see it. This will reduce Cornell's e-mail traffic by a quarter of a million messages every day.

But if anyone prefers to receive e-mail with all spam included, CIT has created a means to opt out of the spam-curtailment process. Anyone who opts out can continue to receive all messages.

To change your opt-out status: Go to http://whoiam.cornell.edu/; click on the "Electronic Mail" link; scroll down to the section labeled "Spam Blocking"; put a check in the box to opt out or clear the check to opt back in; then click the "Set it!" button at the bottom of the page.

You can opt in or opt out at any time; the list of people who have opted out will be updated every night, so your change will take effect the next day.

If you receive your mail through a departmental address, such as somebody@astro.cornell.edu, see our Web pages for details on how you will be affected.

For more information, visit http://www.cit.cornell.edu/computer/email/puremessage/curtailment.html . For assistance with opting out, call the CIT Contact Center (HelpDesk) at 255-8990 or send e-mail to helpdesk@cornell.edu.

Jeff Truelsen writes for CIT.