Why do I get so much spam in my inbox? How can I get rid of it?

Spam isn’t only annoying, it can also be dangerous. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development noted in 2004 “there does not appear to be a widely agreed and workable definition for spam” across jurisdictions – and this remains true today. It tackles spam by prohibiting the sending of unsolicited commercial electronic messages containing offers, ads or other promotions of goods, services or land. On the other hand, if your phone or inbox are hit by commercial messages you haven’t agreed to receive, that is a breach of the Spam Act by the sender. Here are some useful tips for reducing the spam you get and your risk of being hit by cyberattacks: Use a spam filter and block spammers – email and telecommunications providers often supply useful tools as part of their services Unsubscribe from any emails you no longer want to receive – even if you originally agreed to receive them Remove as much of your contact details from websites as you can and always restrict the sharing of your personal information when you can – beware of pre-ticked boxes asking for your consent to receive marketing emails Install cybersecurity updates for your devices and software as you get them Always think twice about opening emails or clicking on links, especially for messages promising rewards or asking for personal information – if it looks too good to be true, it probably is use multi-factor authentication to access online services so even if a scam compromises your login details, it will still be difficult for hackers to break into your accounts Report spam to your email and telecommunications providers.