Q: I buy a lot of things online. Will I get spam from the sites where I shop?

 

A: If you haven’t read the site’s fine print, you most definitely will be getting email from the online retailer after you make a purchase — from special offers to marketing campaigns. And in some cases, you’ll mysteriously start getting unsolicited email from other companies or services too, if the company shares your email address with others.

 

If you want to protect your email inbox from spam, read the site’s privacy policy before you buy. Trustworthy sites will follow consumer guidelines to let you “opt-out” of receiving email — with the exception of a confirmation email that your purchase was processed and shipped. Read the policy to find out if the company shares your email address, too.

 

Also, be careful about receiving “special offers” from the site in the future. This could be double-talk for “we share your email address with our partners.” And that means one thing: more spam.