ITS Documentation
Using the Do Not Spam List to Reduce Spam
S4323 • February 2008

You can opt to have e-mail from known spam sources blocked so that it never gets to your mailbox. This service uses published lists from a vendor to identify this mail, which is then blocked. Blocked mail is rejected and not accepted for delivery. This document explains how using the Do Not Spam List can reduce your spam and provides instructions for subscribing to it for your U-M e-mail address and for e-mail groups in the U-M Online Directory.

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How the Do Not Spam List Works

ITS has purchased the use of several spam-blocking lists for its Do Not Spam List service. You can use it for your

  • Personal mail. Turn it on for your personal mail to have all mail addressed to youruniqname@umich.edu (where youruniqname has been replaced with your own uniqname) checked against the list.

  • Group mail. Turn it on for groups in the U-M Online Directory that you own to have all incoming mail addressed to those groups (in the form of groupname@umich.edu, where groupname has been replaced with the actual name of the group) checked against the list.

If a message is from an IP (Internet Protocol) address included in the Do Not Spam List, that message is rejected (not accepted for delivery). This not only eliminates much of your spam mail, it reduces the load on campus e-mail systems.

IMPORTANT! Using the list will not eliminate all your spam. The purchased spam-blocking lists are very conservative in the addresses they includes. This is done to reduce the likelihood of rejecting a legitimate piece of mail.

Flow chart showing how the Do Not Spam List works.

The purchased lists include IP (Internet Protocol) addresses of known spammers, addresses of machines that should not be sending e-mail, and more.

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Who Can Use the Do Not Spam List

Anyone who has an entry in the U-M Online Directory and who uses uniqname@umich.edu (where uniqname is replaced with your own uniqname) as their e-mail address can use the Do Not Spam List for the mail they receive at that address.

Anyone who owns a group in the U-M Online Directory can use it for that group(s).

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A Word of Caution

Blocked mail is rejected and therefore not accepted for U-M delivery; it cannot be retrieved. While most people will find that use of the Do Not Spam List blocks only spam, some people may occasionally miss receiving a legitimate message. If you correspond with people who use ISPs listed on the purchased spam-blocking lists, you may miss wanted e-mail. If this is a concern for you, we recommend that you

  • Use the Block Status Check Tool to see if a particular address from which you want to receive mail would be blocked. This tool allows you to enter an IP address, e-mail address, or domain name and then find out if it would be blocked.

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    How to Sign Up for the Do Not Spam List

    1. Use your web browser to go to this web address:
      http://spambusters.mail.umich.edu/reduce/

    2. Click the Do Not Spam List link.

    3. Login in with your uniqname and UMICH password.

    4. To use the list for your @umich.edu address:
      Under the Step 1: Turn it on for mail addressed to you heading, click the Turn It On for My Mail button.

      To use the list for all the directory groups you own:
      Under the Step 2: Turn it on for the groups that you own heading, click the Turn It On for My Groups button.

    TURNING THE LIST ON FOR INDIVIDUAL GROUPS: If you want to use the Do Not Spam List for individual groups that you own in the U-M Online Directory, you can do this by modifying each group in the directory. Look for the Use Do Not Spam List heading in your group's directory entry and set it to On to use the list on for the group or Off to turn use of the list off. See Working With E-Mail Groups Using the U-M Online Directory On the Web (S4277) for instructions for making changes to directory groups.

    CO-OWNED GROUPS: If you co-own a group with other people, you may find that use of the list has been turned on for that group by one of the other co-owners. You may want to check with your fellow group owners to decide whether to use the Do Not Spam List or not.

    GROUPS OF WHICH YOU ARE A MEMBER: You can send an e-mail request to the owner of groups of which you are a member asking the owner to turn on the Do Not Spam List for those groups. Under the Step 3: Request participation from your other groups heading, click the contact the owners of those groups link to see a list of groups of which you are a member. Click a group name to send a message to the owner.

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    How to Remove Yourself from the Do Not Spam List

    1. Use your web browser to go to this web address:
      http://spambusters.mail.umich.edu/reduce/

    2. Click the Do Not Spam List link.

    3. Login in with your uniqname and UMICH password.

    4. To turn it off for your @umich.edu address:
      Under the Step 1: Turn it on for mail addressed to you heading, click the Turn It Off for My Mail button.

      To turn it off for all the directory groups you own:
      Under the Step 2: Turn it on for the groups that you own heading, click the Turn It Off for My Groups button.

      You can turn it off for an individual group that you own by modifying the group's directory entry and setting Use Do Not Spam List to Off.

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    Mail Delivery Troubleshooting

    The Troubleshooting Mail Delivery page provides information and tools to help you and your correspondents deal with mail delivery problems that might occur.

    These two tools are provided:

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    Additional Anti-Spam Tools and Tips

    In addition to the Do Not Spam List, other tools and tips are available to help you reduce the amount of unwanted spam mail you receive. See the Spam Busters web page for details.

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    Additional Resources

    Visit ITS's Information System to obtain ITS computer documentation and other resources. A list of relevant documents follows:

    We welcome your comments; please send e-mail.

    ITS's Online Help Desk provides a variety of computing help resources.

    For further help with the Do Not Spam List, send e-mail or phone (734) 764-HELP.

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