Simone Lawson
If you're tired of receiving endless political texts and emails, you're not alone. With the 2024 election campaigns in full swing, many people are seeking ways to stop the flood of unwanted messages and regain control of their inboxes. While it may seem challenging to put an end to the constant barrage, there are several strategies you can employ to reduce the clutter and minimize the stress caused by these intrusive communications. In this paragraph, we will explore effective methods for blocking political texts and emails, helping you restore some much-needed peace and quiet to your daily life.
How to stop political texts and emails
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Opt-out keywords | STOP, STOPALL, ENDALL, CANCEL |
| How to send opt-out keywords | Reply to the text |
| How to block political texts | Filter out unknown senders, use call-blocking services |
| How to report political texts | Forward the text to 7726, fill out the FTC's complaint form, file an informal complaint with the FCC |
| How to avoid malicious links | Be cautious of links, install strong antivirus software |
| How to avoid spam emails | Use Incogni, a data removal service |
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What You'll Learn
Report spam texts by forwarding them to 7726
Political text messages are a nuisance, and sometimes, a risk to your personal security. If you are tired of receiving them, there is a way to stop them. You can report spam texts by forwarding them to 7726. This number is the shortcode for the GSMA's Spam Reporting Service.
- Long-press on the spam message. Tap and hold the body of the message until a small pop-up menu appears at the bottom of the screen. Be sure not to reply or tap any of the links in the message.
- Tap "More". This is usually the last option at the bottom of the screen. You will see a blue checkmark icon appear to the left of the message.
- Tap the forward icon. It is a right-facing curved arrow located in the lower-right corner of the screen. This will copy the text into a new message.
- Enter 7726 as the recipient. Type 7726 in the "To" field.
- Tap "Send". This will forward the text message to the Spam Reporting Service.
By reporting spam messages, you are helping your wireless provider identify and block similar messages in the future. It is important to note that just reporting does not block the sender. You might have to manually block the number by going into the sender's information. Additionally, be cautious of links in the messages and do not click on them as they may contain malware or lead to fraudulent websites.
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File a complaint online with the FCC
If you are tired of receiving annoying political text messages and emails trying to convince you of who to vote for, there are a few steps you can take to stop them. Firstly, it is important to note that political campaign-related autodialed or prerecorded voice calls, including autodialed live calls, autodialed texts, and prerecorded voice messages, are prohibited to cell phones or other mobile devices without the called party's prior express consent. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) contains specific rules that political campaigns must follow. For instance, in the case of calls and texts that require consent, the caller must honor the called party's request to revoke consent. The recipient can revoke consent at any time by replying "stop" to a text or asking not to be called or texted again.
If you think you have received a political robocall or text that does not comply with the FCC's rules, you can file an informal complaint with the FCC. The FCC is committed to protecting consumers from unwanted calls and texts. The informal complaint process requires no complicated legal procedures, has no filing charge, and does not require the complaining party to appear before the FCC.
- Visit the FCC's website at fcc.gov/complaints. Filing online is the quickest and most effective way to file a complaint.
- Provide your name, address, and contact information.
- Include as much detail about your complaint as possible. For example, specify whether you are complaining about unwanted calls, texts, or emails, and whether they were autodialed or prerecorded.
- Submit your complaint.
In some cases, the FCC may not have the authority to resolve an individual complaint. However, by submitting a detailed complaint, the Commission can provide additional resources and guide you through possible next steps, including directing you to other agencies that may have jurisdiction over your issue. For more information on consumer issues, visit the FCC's Consumer Help Center at fcc.gov/consumers.
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Use a tool like Block Sender to block emails
During an election season, political emails can quickly flood your inbox. Whether it's candidates you've never heard of begging for your vote or political parties asking for donations, it can get overwhelming.
One way to block these emails is by using a tool like Block Sender. Block Sender is an extension that you can install in your email client. Once installed, you can open the email from the political entity you want to block and choose the "Block [Name]" selection from the drop-down menu. In the box that pops up, you can set up your filter. Make sure that the sender's email address is in the "From" box, then click on "Create filter". On the following page, check the box for "Delete it" and then hit "Create filter" again. This will ensure that all future emails from this specific sender go straight to your Trash.
Alternatively, you can choose "Emails from this domain" to block emails from all senders of that website. You can also edit the block and set the destination to "Delete (skip trash)" to permanently delete the email immediately without having to see it in your Trash folder.
Block Sender also allows you to set up automatic replies to blocked emails with canned responses. This can be useful if you want to politely decline political emails or let the sender know that you are not interested.
In addition to using Block Sender, you can also try other strategies such as unsubscribing from political mailing lists directly. However, be sure to check the legitimacy of the sender before clicking on any "unsubscribe" links to avoid potential scams or malware.
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Create a Gmail filter to automatically sort political emails
If you are tired of receiving political emails in your Gmail inbox, you can create a filter to automatically sort them. Here's how:
Step 1: Identify a Political Email
Begin by opening your Gmail inbox and identifying a political email that you want to filter. You can use the search bar to find specific emails containing certain words or phrases, such as "vote" or "donation."
Step 2: Check the Checkbox
Once you have found a political email, check the checkbox next to it. This indicates that you want to take action on this particular email.
Step 3: Click on the "More" Icon
After checking the box, click on the "More" icon, represented by three vertical dots. This will open a menu with additional options.
Step 4: Select "Filter Messages Like These"
From the menu, select "Filter messages like these." This option allows you to create a filter based on the selected email.
Step 5: Define the Filter Criteria
In the next step, you will be prompted to enter your filter criteria. Here, you can specify the details of the emails you want to filter. You can include the sender's email address, specific keywords or phrases in the subject line or body of the email, or even the recipients if you want to filter emails that you are cc'd or bcc'd on.
Step 6: Choose the Action for the Filtered Emails
After defining the filter criteria, you can choose what action you want the filter to take. You can select options such as "Delete it," "Mark as read," "Star it," or even create a custom action. For example, you might want to delete all political emails automatically or mark them as read without notifying you.
Step 7: Create the Filter
Finally, click on the "Create filter" button. This will save your filter criteria and apply the specified action to all future emails that match the filter.
By following these steps, you can automatically sort political emails in your Gmail inbox. You may need to create multiple filters to capture different senders and types of political emails effectively. Additionally, combining this method with other strategies, such as unsubscribing from political mailing lists, can further reduce the number of political emails you receive.
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Change phone settings to filter out unknown senders
If you're tired of receiving political text messages, you can change your phone settings to filter out unknown senders. Here's how you can do it:
IPhone
On your iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Messages. Tap Blocked Contacts and add the numbers you want to block to the list. You can also turn off Business Messages and RCS Business Messages in the Settings > Apps > Messages menu. Additionally, you can enable the "Filter Unknown Senders" option in the Messages settings to move messages from unknown senders to a separate folder. However, this may result in missing important messages from senders not in your contacts, such as banks or doctors.
Android
On Android devices, you can block specific numbers or all unknown senders. To block a number, open the Messages app, tap the three dots in the upper right corner, select Details, and then choose Block & report spam. To block all unknown senders, you can download a third-party app like "Bouncer," which allows you to filter messages by specific words or phrases.
While changing your phone settings to filter out unknown senders can help reduce the number of unwanted political texts, it's important to note that you may also miss important messages from senders not in your contacts. Additionally, blocking or filtering unknown senders might not be effective if the senders have your number through multiple campaigns or groups.
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Frequently asked questions
You can block political emails by using Gmail filters and Block Sender. You can also unsubscribe from political mailing lists directly.
Legitimate text campaign operators should remove you from their list if you reply with "STOP". You can also report spam texts by forwarding them to 7726.
Scammers and robocalls are harder to stop. You can reduce the clutter in your inbox by changing your phone settings to filter out all unknown senders.
Unfortunately, Apple does not provide a way to prevent spam political texts. You can call your carrier to see if they have any options available.
If you are registered with a political party or affiliated with a voting-related organization, you may have given them your phone number. Be cautious when providing your phone number and permission to text you.
