Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2001 23:42:34 -0500 From: Bill Moran <wmoran@mail.iowna.com> To: Per Tore Larsen <per.tore.larsen@fernonorden.com> Cc: "'Chris Hill'" <chris@monochrome.org>, "Freebsd-Questions (E-post)" <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: SPAM? (was Re: Antisniffer measures (digest of posts)) Message-ID: <3A67C5BA.E18A0EE2@mail.iowna.com> References: <25879E6A7E74D411B9370050043B7F3E09F8AB@fernonorden.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Per Tore Larsen wrote: > Not to defend spam (I hate spam) but we also need to consider the fact > that the internet is the only way to express your self without any > kind of censorship. If we say yes to stop spam we also say yes to the > goverment to read all our email to check if it is spam. > > The fact is that we MUST accept spam to keep the internet free from > goverment abuse. Yes, I know that the US is keeping Echolon etc but the > fact is that they are not publicly accepted. > > I know this is a very extreme look at spam and censorship, but by saying > yes to one thing, makes the next step even easier for the goverment. > > Internet may be tormentet by junk/sex/whatever but it's the ultimate > freedom of speech. Lets keep it that way. <SOAPBOX> I'll have to say that I disagree 99.9% Sending out junk snail mail is one thing. In that case, the sender pays the $$ for his trouble, and therefor targets his advertising carefully. He's more than happy to take you off his list if you request it, because it saves him $$. Now, in the eyes of an unethical weasle (i.e. spammer) the $$ rules. Everything he does is based on getting a $$. Therefore, he does the following: 1. Mails to anyone with no regard for their privacy in order to meet his quota. 2. Doesn't bother to target anything (that would take effort, which means less profit) 3. Steals and scums addresses anyway he can to meet his quota. 4. Uses other people's email servers and bandwidth illegally if he can find it (saves $$). 5. Lies that he'll take you off his list, but uses your request as a verification that your address is good and then sells it to other lists as a "verified address" 6. Signs up for services that specifically disallow spamming (because they're cheaper than ones that would allow that type of bandwidth) and uses them till they kick him off, then signs up for another similar service ... ad infinitum. 7. Cares not a bit about who he offends, annoys, etc. 8. Knows damn well that spam is paid for by the RECEPIENT. (ISP notices he needs a bigger mail server, thus passes the cost down to his subscribers) 9. Knows damn well that he's not really doing any good for the service he is spamming FOR, and takes their $$ anyway. So, don't ever, EVER defend a spammer in any way. I belong to many mail lists. These are legitamate methods of communication. Paying for your own promotion is legitamate promotion. I see spam as this: Sears sends you a catalog that you don't want - COD. By some strange law, you MUST accept & pay for it. Post Office doesn't think it's anything to worry about because it's only a few bucks, anybody can afford that - it's not worth the battle to stop it. That's spam. That sucks. That's the "easy buck". In the end, for every one of these weasles who is making $$ off of someone elses work, somebody doing an honest job has to work twice as hard to support themselves. email spam is just one part of this problem, but it's still part. </SOAPBOX> To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?3A67C5BA.E18A0EE2>