HP Supports Anti-Spam Campaign

Join HP in fighting spam! What have you got to lose besides the unsolicited e-mails clogging your in-box?

The rapid increase in unsolicited commercial e-mail, or spam, has gone beyond being a minor nuisance. It’s now a major economic and social issue estimated to represent more than half of the world’s e-mail traffic.

To help combat this issue, the Canadian government has set up an anti-spam task force, in which the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) is a participant. ITAC is the voice of the Canadian information and communications technology industry, with 1,300 member companies representing telecommunications, Internet services, microelectronics, hardware, software and electronic content. HP is a longtime member of ITAC (our President and CEO, Paul Tsaparis, is chair of its Board of Governors), and supports the task force’s Anti-Spam Awareness Campaign.

Protecting customer, supplier and employee privacy is an important step in fighting spam, and people doing business with HP can be assured that their privacy will be respected. In fact, this past January we were recognized as the winner of the award for Most Trusted Company for Privacy, given by TRUSTe, the leading online privacy nonprofit organization, and Ponemon Institute, for the establishment and enforcement of progressive privacy practices. It’s one of the values that makes HP a great company to do business with. For more information read HP’s privacy statement.

“HP respects the privacy of its customers and is committed to protecting it,” says Celine Gilmore, Canadian Privacy Manager, HP Canada. “As a leader in the world of e-commerce and information technology services, HP also leads the way in the worldwide marketplace in advancing the rights of consumers to have their personal information safeguarded. Through its Privacy Office, HP ensures that its global policies and procedures match the highest standards of privacy excellence."

Task Force Plans to Reduce Spam

Since its formation in May 2004, the anti-spam task force has developed a six-point action plan that calls for specific initiatives by government and the private sector to reduce and control spam:

1. Using existing laws and regulations, such as the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act;
2. Reviewing current legislation and enforcement to see if any gaps need to be addressed;
3. Improving network management practices;
4. Using technology to validate legitimate commercial communications;
5. Enhancing consumer education and awareness;
6. Promoting an international framework to fight spam.

The task force met in December to review the progress of the anti-spam action plan. At the same time, it unveiled an Internet-based communications campaign to raise public awareness of steps consumers can take to limit and control the volume of spam they receive. The task force encourages consumers to follow these three tips, posted on the anti-spam task force’s Stop Spam Web site:

1. Protect your computer

Protect your computer from virus-carrying spam messages. Install and regularly update anti-virus and anti-spam software. Look into the extra protection of a firewall, which prevents unauthorized access to or from a private network, using hardware, software or both.

2. Protect your e-mail address

Reserve one e-mail address for your trusted personal and business contacts. Create a separate, expendable e-mail address for other online uses.

3. Protect yourself

Don’t try, buy or reply to spam. Just delete it. It’s an easy way to help prevent receiving more spam in the future.