Like smamming? Go to jail!

[SurlyPIG]

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/04/30/fighting.spam.ap/index.html

About time ;D

[slaphapy]

I heard about this on the radio on friday or something... lol the radio host had no clue what "spaming" meant.. he tried to sound like he did though hehe

i hope they do the same thing here :)

[mechadragon]

I'm in favor of this. But I can see a problem with people signing up for newsletters (or simply failing to opt out) and then reporting "innocent" parties as spammers when it is users fault for not reading. I also have concerns for newsletters that have 10,000 readers. Is the screening process to be automated? And if so will the people that send these bulk newsletters have to spend time and money on a defense when they have done nothing wrong othr than be too popular?

I am webmaster who recives NO SPAM in his mailbox. Other members of my domain recieve SPAM and ask me why they are still getting it if I am so successful at blocking it. I always have to ask them two questions.

1. Did you subscribe to any of thier services? If they answer yes, my response is:

"Well Dumbass, maybe you get SPAM from them because you told them it was okay to send it to you!"

2. Did you post your email address on any websites, forums, or newsgroups? If they answer yes, my response is:

"Well Dumbass, spammers can read just as easy as you can."

Just like Google has "spiders" that find new websites, spammers have spiders to extract email addresses from those webpages.

The number one way to prevent SPAM is to keep your information private. If any of you would like to email me, I am "mdx (at) ixai.org".

[Navaros]

good start, but ultimately: what's the point?

Virginia is only *one* state.

Why is spam legal ANYWHERE???!!!! Spam should be ILLEGAL. Period. End of story. ILLEGAL with a CAPITAL "I".

There is absolutely NO reason why spam should be legally tolerated anywhere in a supposedly-"civilized" society.

Everyone needs to harrass his politicians until they make SPAM ILLEGAL EVERYWHERE.

Anyone who knowingly participates in the generation of spam should be tried. If convicted, he should be sentenced to a MINIMUM prison sentence of 10 years.

Remember, only you can put an end to spam. Harrass your politicians day and night until spam is illegal everywhere.

Imagine an Internet with no spam. Paradise.

[ken124578]

The penalties can apply even if the sender and recipients live elsewhere because much of the global Internet traffic passes through northern Virginia, home to major online companies such as America Online and MCI and a conduit to major federal communications hubs in neighboring Washington and its suburbs.

Read before you reply arohk.

[nemafakei]

Already been passed in the EU, I think. And it is good that at least some people over there are catching on, but politicians are sometimes not the most willing of people to catch onto such things.

[GhostHunter]

good start, but ultimately: what's the point?

Virginia is only *one* state.

Why is spam legal ANYWHERE???!!!! Spam should be ILLEGAL. Period. End of story. ILLEGAL with a CAPITAL "I".

There is absolutely NO reason why spam should be legally tolerated anywhere in a supposedly-"civilized" society.

Everyone needs to harrass his politicians until they make SPAM ILLEGAL EVERYWHERE.

Anyone who knowingly participates in the generation of spam should be tried. If convicted, he should be sentenced to a MINIMUM prison sentence of 10 years.

Remember, only you can put an end to spam. Harrass your politicians day and night until spam is illegal everywhere.

Imagine an Internet with no spam. Paradise.

I agree with you, Nav...The issue is that if it was banned we wouldn't get any posts anymore from you ;D

[slaphapy]

If convicted, he should be sentenced to a MINIMUM prison sentence of 10 years.

10 YEARS?!?!? that's insane!

[Navaros]

If convicted, he should be sentenced to a MINIMUM prison sentence of 10 years.

10 YEARS?!?!? that's insane!

no it's not. endless legally-allowed harrassment, time-wasting and grief caused by rapist-like spam companies... *THAT's* insane.

[Tezcatlipoca]

Might as well throw a wrench in here. Stir up the snakes so to speak. (Don' worry, I'll only post once on this subject. Wouldn't want to risk being arrested on charges of spamming any of the readers that might be from the great state of Virginia.)

I disagree. Spam should not be illegal. People SHOULDN'T spam, and any decent administrated server (i.e. forum) should dispose of spam, and reject the offenders, but there is no need to make a LAW against it. I personally don't need to go to my GOVERNMENT to take care of a little, or a lot, of spam. As a computer literate, I can download a wide assortment of anti-spam software. As a computer literate, I do not sign up for every mailing list I come across. If I'm THAT worried about spam, then I can simply align my settings to delete any new message that is not from someone either on my personal mailing list, or on my "Accept mail from" list. The point is, I like having freedoms. When you make a new law, you restrict more freedom. When you make a law over every damned little thing, you restrict people's freedom to do those little things, AND more, as OTHER things can easily be misinterpreted as those little things. On top of that, you now have a "scare" tatic that is in effect, as you have to think every time you do something that may be semi related to something else that is illegal weather that is, or can be interpreted as illegal. I feel that I am a responsible user of the internet, and computers. Therefore, I do not have spam. I'm pretty sure spam is sent to me, but I deal with it. If someone cannot deal with it, then they should not be using a computer/the internet.

However, if spam is made to be illegal where I reside, then I'll be the first out there pushing hard as hell to get a law against those pesky television ads. All I want to do is turn on my T.V. and watch the shows after all! But then those annoying T.V. adds get in the way! After all, it would be WAY better to get a law passed against it(presumably revoking the rights of anyone that likes to watch the ads, from watching the ads, as well as throwing any company that uses television ads as a mean to increase revenue into an even harder recessionary plunge then they already are in), instead of being responsible, taking care of my own personal issues and purchasing a TiVo, right?

[mechadragon]

Your objection is severly flawed. The reason SPAM is so reviled in the industry is that it cost companies money. Deleteing the SPAM from you mail box only makes their expense that mush worse. When SPAM is sent, it takes bandwidth to transfer. Since SPAM is bulk, it eats more bandwidth. To sit in you mail box, before you ever delete it costs money in terms of maintenince. Plus, many service have SPAM filters of thier own, which must be designed and configured, which also costs money. When i talk about money, I don't mean $100 per SPAM messgae, I mean les than 1

[slaphapy]

If convicted, he should be sentenced to a MINIMUM prison sentence of 10 years.

10 YEARS?!?!? that's insane!

no it's not. endless legally-allowed harrassment, time-wasting and grief caused by rapist-like spam companies... *THAT's* insane.

10 years is crazy some people don't even get that much for something like armed robbery where people's lives are on the line!

[hide]off topic: btw mechadragonX i like your mastercard spoof in your signiture :)[/hide]