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Spam filter to enhance email services at Penn State

Penn State's Information Technology Services is activating a new email filter to prevent the accumulation of unsolicited email (also known as spam) in the inboxes of University faculty, staff and students.

The new email filter, which is set to activate on Tuesday, May 22, will identify suspicious messages such as phishing scams and other email-based fraud. These messages will be identified as junk to separate them from legitimate emails.

The way in which the new filter will direct junk mail will be determined by how users access their Penn State email. Users should visit http://kb.its.psu.edu/spam to learn more about how the new spam quarantine initiative will affect them directly. The filter also will affect users who check their email on handheld devices such as smartphones, tablets, eReaders and PDAs.

As part of the new process, email messages that appear in an individual's junk folder (or, in some cases, on a new spam quarantine page) will be kept for 30 days, after which the messages will automatically be deleted. Users will be able to easily move messages mistakenly identified as junk from their junk folder (or spam quarantine page) to their inbox. Initial deletion of junk mail, older than 30 days, will begin on Saturday, May 19, three days prior to the new email filter being turned on.

Beginning on May 22, Penn State faculty, staff and students should begin checking their junk folder or spam quarantine page at least once a month to ensure that legitimate messages are not mistakenly deleted.

Questions or concerns can be answered through the IT Service Desk at helpdesk@psu.edu.

Last Updated April 19, 2012