There are key differences between the two, each with its own challenges and solutions. The good news is that there are immediate steps you can take right now to reduce any unwanted marketing that comes your way.
To make it confusing, email applications (like Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) refer to unwanted email as spam. Sometimes they even label it as junk -- which adds to the confusion. Email providers borrowed the word "junk mail" because physical mail predates email. As a result, people sometimes use the words interchangeably.
Digital Junk Mail
Digital junk mail is mail you receive electronically because you opted in at some point in time with your email. This could be from a purchase, newsletter, or a form filled out on a website. This isn't necessarily "spam" because you opted into receiving email from these providers.
Digital Spam
On the other hand, spam is considered to be digital content (usually email) that you did not authorize or subscribe to. Spam is even more frustrating than junk mail because you never gave permission to be contacted in the first place. In other words, you didn't opt in. Oftentimes spam's intent is to deceive. This could be in the form of phishing or deceptive offers to scam or extort.
The Short Answer
Simply put, junk mail can be unwanted physical mail. When you go to your mailbox and see the literal physical mail that covers the mail you actually want -- that's junk mail. However, junk mail can also refer to the digital version of snail mail. When you check your inbox and see the unwanted emails that clutter your digital space -- that's also junk mail.
Then, there's spam. The objective is typically deceptive and sent without your permission. See below for a comparison and concise overview.
The Comparison
| Junk Mail | Junk / Spam (Email) | |
|---|---|---|
| Channel | Physical mail (USPS) | |
| Governed by | FTC / USPS regulations | CAN-SPAM Act (2003) |
| Legal? | Yes, mostly | Yes if compliant -- illegal if deceptive |
| Who sends it | Mailers, retailers, credit bureaus | Email marketers, scammers |
| How to stop | DMAchoice, OptOutPrescreen, data removal | Unsubscribe link, spam filter, email block |
| How fast it stops | 30–90 days | Hours to days |
How to Stop Physical Junk Mail
Physical junk mail requires physical solutions. The three registries that cover the vast majority of it:
DMAchoice.org
Run by the Data & Marketing Association. Registering removes you from the mailing lists of most major retailers, catalogs, and direct marketers.
OptOutPrescreen.com
Run jointly by the four major credit bureaus. Removes you from pre-screened credit card and insurance offer lists -- one of the biggest sources of mailbox clutter. Free, federally backed, takes 30–60 days to take effect.
CatalogChoice.org
Opt out of specific catalogs by name. Search for the catalog you're receiving and submit a removal request directly to the mailer. Free. Takes 6–12 weeks depending on the company.
For the full step-by-step process, see our complete guide to stopping junk mail.
How to Stop Junk and Spam Email
The best course of action to take against junk email is simply to click unsubscribe in the footer (bottom part) of the email. It might be small and hard to find. However, email marketing campaigns are legally required to provide it under CAN-SPAM regulations.[1]
If you can't find the unsubscribe link in the email, then you have two options: email them and ask to be removed as a subscriber or block the sender.
Most email providers have spam filters in place already to detect and limit spam messages. If you've ever checked your spam/junk folder, then you have already seen how much is sent out every day. For spam messages, your best course of action is to not engage, block the sender, and/or mark as spam/junk in your email client.
Now, if you have junk email coming in daily, you may need to use a service like Unroll.me. They specialize in mass unsubscribing you from emails you no longer wish to receive. This is helpful if you don't mind some marketing emails, but have become overwhelmed and no longer interested in a majority of them.
The Overlap: Data Brokers
Now, onto data brokers: this is where junk email and junk mail collide. Data brokers sell your personal information to both physical mailers and email marketers. As a result, they can serve ads tailored to your online behavior and interests. They also comb through data online as well as publicly available information to reach you.
Data brokers are a big business, unfortunately. And there are hundreds in the United States. Removing your personal information from them is truly a big task. Each data broker has their own privacy policy and it is very cumbersome to opt out from each one.
Fortunately, for Californians, there is a promising solution. Enter the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy), which debuted the Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform (DROP). This is a free public service that sends a single deletion request to every registered data broker in California. However, its scope is limited to data brokers in California and not other U.S. states.
One opt-out service, like Incogni, covers both channels and automagically helps you fight data brokers that sell your data for profit. This saves you a ton of time and headaches, freeing you from manually reaching out to data brokers one by one. They also monitor your information on an ongoing basis to protect you from new data broker listings.
Incogni contacts 180+ data brokers on your behalf and requests removal -- automatically, every quarter. One subscription cuts off both physical junk mail and email spam at the source.
DeleteMe focuses on the top 30+ consumer data broker sites with detailed quarterly reports showing exactly what was removed and from where.