The St. Catharines Standard

   Chain letters impose on the appropriate boundaries of cyber space and are an intrusion, says Dr. Judy Orloff. "Mark them as spam and delete them. Or you can respond to 'reply all' and ask people not to send them anymore."
    It's your right not to respond to chain letter, she stresses. "It is healthy boundary setting to know that it is appropriate not to respond if they don't feel right. You need to trust your intuition and not feel guilty if you delete them," she adds.
    According to Dr. Rick Kirschner, "the only way they can invade your privacy is if you believe them and forward them. I think of this type of mail as a hoax... It's viral e-mail, no question about it, because there are always going to be at least a few people who will go for it and thus keep it going."
    Kirschner often returns them with the words, "Please don't send this kind of thing to me. No virus warnings or petitions, either. Thanks! Call if you want to know my reasons."
    The author and speaker says, "Nobody has ever called after getting that message from me, but I have stopped receiving such mailings from numerous people."

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