Technology

Is it safe to unsubscribe from spam you didn’t sign up for?

Published

10 months ago

April 30, 2025

We’ve all been there: Trying to clean out our inbox only to find that the same sketchy emails keep showing up, even after clicking “unsubscribe.” Robert from Danville, Virginia, wrote in with a question that many of us can relate to.

“When you unsubscribe to a junk email that you know you didn’t authorize, do you really unsubscribe and no longer get [emails]? I scroll to the bottom of the email and process the ‘unsubscribe’ function and even block the email using the block option within my email. Seems the same emails reappear. Is unsubscribing worth my time? Any remedies?” he wrote.

Robert, you’re not alone in asking this, and the trust is more complicated (and frustrating) than you might think. While unsubscribing can work in some cases, there are situations where it might actually make things worse. Let’s break down when it’s safe to unsubscribe, when it’s not and what you can do instead to take back control of your inbox.

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Beware of scammers (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

The truth about unsubscribing from spam you didn’t sign up for

Unsubscribing isn’t always safe, especially with spam. If an email is from a legitimate business, like a store you bought something from or a newsletter you signed up for, it’s usually OK to unsubscribe. These companies are bound by email marketing laws and will typically remove you. However, emails that you never signed up for are completely different. Here are the key differences.

Legit email

Comes from a known business or service
Usually has a working unsubscribe link
Opt-out request is honored

Spam/scam email

Comes from unknown or random sources
“Unsubscribe” link might be fake or used to track clicks
Clicking may confirm your email is active and invite more spam

Email app on smartphone (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

HOW TO STOP PROMOTIONAL EMAILS WHERE YOU CAN’T UNSUBSCRIBE

When not to click ‘unsubscribe’

Not all unsubscribe links are safe. In fact, clicking on one in a suspicious email can make things worse by signaling to spammers that your address is active.

Avoid clicking unsubscribe if:

The sender is unfamiliar, or the message feels unrelated to anything you’ve signed up for
The email contains typos, bad formatting or vague greetings like “Dear customer”
The sender address looks weird (e.g., winbignow@marketingzone.biz)
The “unsubscribe” link redirects to a strange URL

In these cases, clicking unsubscribe might invite even more junk mail instead of stopping it.

THE ‘UNSUBSCRIBE’ EMAIL SCAM IS TARGETING AMERICANS

Better ways to fight spam

Here’s what you should do instead to counteract spam.

1) Mark it as spam or phishing: Every email provider (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.) has a “report spam” button. Use it. This feature trains your inbox to recognize and filter future junk. It also helps others by flagging known spam sources all while not tipping off the spammer.

2) Block the sender (but know it’s temporary): Blocking a sender can help, but temporarily, because spammers often use rotating addresses. It’s a continuous game, but it still has short-term value.

How to block senders on major email platforms:

Gmail: Open the email > Click the three-dot menu > Block [sender]
Outlook: Open the message > Click the three-dot menu > Block or Report
Yahoo Mail: Open the email > Click the three-dot menu > Block sender
Apple Mail (iCloud): Tap the sender’s name > Block this Contact

3) Use your email’s built-in alias or disposable tools: Before switching to a third-party service, it’s worth checking what your current email provider already offers. Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo have handy tricks for separating junk from legit messages without signing up for anything new.

Here’s how it works with the major platforms.

Gmail: Add a plus sign (+) and a keyword to your regular address when signing up (e.g., yourname+shopping@gmail.com). The email will still arrive in your inbox, but now you can see who leaked your info and create filters to organize or block it.
Yahoo Mail (Plus users): You can create up to 500 disposable email addresses. These are full of alternate addresses that you can disable or remove if they start getting spammed.
Outlook: Microsoft lets you create and manage “alias” addresses linked to your existing Outlook account. These aliases can be used to send and receive email and help keep your primary address private.

This trick is great for organizing your inbox, tracking how your email is being used and filtering out spam before it becomes a problem. Check out the full how-to guide here: How to create a disposable email address.

Gmail on a tablet (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

4) Upgrade to a spam-killer inbox service: Anonymous email tricks are a smart move, but if you want full control over spam, privacy and organization, a dedicated alias email service is the way to go.

An alias email address is an additional address that forwards to your primary inbox. It lets you receive messages without ever exposing your real email. By using different aliases for online sign-ups, shopping, newsletters and more, you can easily manage incoming mail and instantly shut off spam by deleting an alias whenever needed.

Creating multiple aliases also protects your real email address from being flooded with junk or compromised in a data breach. It’s one of the easiest ways to stay organized and secure online.

Want to find the best secure and private email services? Check out my full review here.

YOUR EMAIL DIDN’T EXPIRE. IT’S JUST ANOTHER SNEAKY SCAM

5) Use a burner email service for short-term sign-ups: If you want an extra layer of separation from your personal inbox, burner email services are a great option. They create temporary email addresses you can use for quick sign-ups with no commitment and no spam in your real inbox.

Burner emails are especially useful for:

Free trials
Giveaways
Sketchy sites
One-time forms or downloads

You can refer to a comprehensive list of popular temporary email services that generate disposable addresses lasting from minutes to hours, which offer features like anonymous inboxes, attachment support, browser extensions and easy expiration to protect your privacy and reduce spam.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Unsubscribing from suspicious emails can do more harm than good, so it’s best to mark them as spam and block the sender instead. Use your email provider’s built-in tools to filter messages and create aliases to track where spam is coming from. For short-term sign-ups, disposable email services are a great way to protect your real inbox. And if you want long-term control and privacy, switching to a secure email service is the best way to keep your inbox clean.

Have you found a trick that actually helps stop spam? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth designates Anthropic a supply chain risk

Published

4 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth designates Anthropic a supply chain risk

This week, Anthropic delivered a master class in arrogance and betrayal as well as a textbook case of how not to do business with the United States Government or the Pentagon.

Our position has never wavered and will never waver: the Department of War must have full, unrestricted access to Anthropic’s models for every LAWFUL purpose in defense of the Republic.

Instead, @AnthropicAI and its CEO @DarioAmodei, have chosen duplicity. Cloaked in the sanctimonious rhetoric of “effective altruism,” they have attempted to strong-arm the United States military into submission – a cowardly act of corporate virtue-signaling that places Silicon Valley ideology above American lives.

The Terms of Service of Anthropic’s defective altruism will never outweigh the safety, the readiness, or the lives of American troops on the battlefield.

Their true objective is unmistakable: to seize veto power over the operational decisions of the United States military. That is unacceptable.

As President Trump stated on Truth Social, the Commander-in-Chief and the American people alone will determine the destiny of our armed forces, not unelected tech executives.

Anthropic’s stance is fundamentally incompatible with American principles. Their relationship with the United States Armed Forces and the Federal Government has therefore been permanently altered.

In conjunction with the President’s directive for the Federal Government to cease all use of Anthropic’s technology, I am directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security. Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner that does business with the United States military may conduct any commercial activity with Anthropic. Anthropic will continue to provide the Department of War its services for a period of no more than six months to allow for a seamless transition to a better and more patriotic service.

America’s warfighters will never be held hostage by the ideological whims of Big Tech. This decision is final.

Technology

What Trump’s ‘ratepayer protection pledge’ means for you

Published

5 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

What Trump’s ‘ratepayer protection pledge’ means for you

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

When you open a chatbot, stream a show or back up photos to the cloud, you are tapping into a vast network of data centers. These facilities power artificial intelligence, search engines and online services we use every day. Now there is a growing debate over who should pay for the electricity those data centers consume.

During President Trump’s State of the Union address this week, he introduced a new initiative called the “ratepayer protection pledge” to shift AI-driven electricity costs away from consumers. The core idea is simple.

Tech companies that run energy-intensive AI data centers should cover the cost of the extra electricity they require rather than passing those costs on to everyday customers through higher utility rates.

It sounds simple. The hard part is what happens next.

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At the State of the Union address Feb. 24, 2026, President Trump unveiled the “ratepayer protection pledge” aimed at shielding consumers from rising electricity costs tied to AI data centers. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Why AI is driving a surge in electricity demand

AI systems require enormous computing power. That computing power requires enormous electricity. Today’s data centers can consume as much power as a small city. As AI tools expand across business, healthcare, finance and consumer apps, energy demand has risen sharply in certain regions.

Utilities have warned that the current grid in many parts of the country was not built for this level of concentrated demand. Upgrading substations, transmission lines and generation capacity costs money. Traditionally, those costs can influence rates paid by homes and small businesses. That is where the pledge comes in.

What the ratepayer protection pledge is designed to do

Under the ratepayer protection pledge, large technology companies would:

Cover the full cost of additional electricity tied to their data centers
Build their own on-site power generation to reduce strain on the public grid

Supporters say this approach separates residential energy costs from large-scale AI expansion. In other words, your household bill should not rise simply because a new AI data center opens nearby. So far, Anthropic is the clearest public backer. CyberGuy reached out to Anthropic for a comment on its role in the pledge. A company spokesperson referred us to a tweet from Anthropic Head of External Affairs Sarah Heck.

“American families shouldn’t pick up the tab for AI,” Heck wrote in a post on X. “In support of the White House ratepayer protection pledge, Anthropic has committed to covering 100% of electricity price increases that consumers face from our data centers.”

That makes Anthropic one of the first major AI companies to publicly state it will absorb consumer electricity price increases tied to its data center operations. Other major firms may be close behind. The White House reportedly plans to host Microsoft, Meta and Anthropic in early March to discuss formalizing a broader deal, though attendance and final terms have not been confirmed publicly.

Microsoft also expressed support for the initiative.

“The ratepayer protection pledge is an important step,” Brad Smith, Microsoft vice chair and president, said in a statement to CyberGuy. “We appreciate the administration’s work to ensure that data centers don’t contribute to higher electricity prices for consumers.”

Industry groups also point to companies such as Google and utilities including Duke Energy and Georgia Power as making consumer-focused commitments tied to data center growth. However, enforcement mechanisms and long-term regulatory details remain unclear.

CHINA VS SPACEX IN RACE FOR SPACE AI DATA CENTERS

The White House plans talks with Microsoft, Meta and Anthropic about shifting AI energy costs away from consumers. (Eli Hiller/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

How this could change the economics of AI

AI infrastructure is already one of the most expensive technology buildouts in history. Companies are investing billions in chips, servers and real estate. If firms must also finance dedicated power plants or pay premium rates for grid upgrades, the cost of running AI systems increases further. That could lead to:

Slower expansion in some markets
Greater investment in renewable energy and storage
More partnerships between tech firms and utilities

Energy strategy may become just as important as computing strategy. For consumers, this shift signals that electricity is now a central part of the AI conversation. AI is no longer only about software. It is also about infrastructure.

The bigger consumer tech picture

AI is becoming embedded in smartphones, search engines, office software and home devices. As adoption grows, so does the hidden infrastructure supporting it. Energy is now part of the conversation around everyday technology. Every AI-generated image, voice command or cloud backup depends on a power-hungry network of servers.

By asking companies to account more directly for their electricity use, policymakers are acknowledging a new reality. The digital world runs on very physical resources. For you, that shift could mean more transparency. It also raises new questions about sustainability, local impact and long-term costs.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE HELPS FUEL NEW ENERGY SOURCES

As AI expansion strains the grid, a new proposal would require tech firms to fund their own power needs. (Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images)

What this means for you

If you are a homeowner or renter, the practical question is simple. Will this protect my electric bill? In theory, separating data center energy costs from residential rates could reduce the risk of price spikes tied to AI growth. If companies fund their own generation or grid upgrades, utilities may have less reason to spread those costs among all customers.

That said, utility pricing is complex. It depends on state regulators, long-term planning and local energy markets.

Here is what you can watch for in your area:

New data center construction announcements
Utility filings that mention large commercial load growth
Public service commission decisions on rate adjustments

Even if you rarely use AI tools, your community could feel the effects of a nearby data center. The pledge is intended to keep those large-scale power demands from showing up in your monthly bill.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

The ratepayer protection pledge highlights an important turning point. AI is no longer only about innovation and speed. It is also about energy and accountability. If tech companies truly absorb the cost of their expanding power needs, households may avoid some of the financial strain tied to rapid AI growth. If not, utility bills could become an unexpected front line in the AI era.

As AI tools become part of daily life, how much extra power are you willing to support to keep them running? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Technology

Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War show

Published

17 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War show

Amazon has slowly been teasing out casting details for its live-action adaptation of God of War, and now we have our first look at the show. It’s a single image but a notable one showing protagonist Kratos and his son Atreus. The characters are played by Ryan Hurst and Callum Vinson, respectively, and they look relatively close to their video game counterparts.

There aren’t a lot of other details about the show just yet, but this is Amazon’s official description:

The God of War series storyline follows father and son Kratos and Atreus as they embark on a journey to spread the ashes of their wife and mother, Faye. Through their adventures, Kratos tries to teach his son to be a better god, while Atreus tries to teach his father how to be a better human.

That sounds a lot like the recent soft reboot of the franchise, which started with 2018’s God of War and continued through Ragnarök in 2022. For the Amazon series, Ronald D. Moore, best-known for his work on For All Mankind and Battlestar Galactica, will serve as showrunner. The rest of the cast includes: Mandy Patinkin (Odin), Ed Skrein (Baldur), Max Parker (Heimdall), Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Thor), Teresa Palmer (Sif), Alastair Duncan (Mimir), Jeff Gulka (Sindri), and Danny Woodburn (Brok).

While production is underway on the God of War series, there’s no word on when it might start streaming.