On Sun, 16 Feb 2003 14:30:02 -0800
Bob Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Two words: Spammer pays.* If there's no money in the system, there's
> no way to take money from a spammer. Professional spammers can and
> will fake authentication -- just look at how many ISP accounts they go
> through in a week.
>
> I'm interested in hearing about other effective ways to punish
> spammers. I suggested legal remedies, and you didn't like that. I
> suggested a market-based remedy, and you don't like that.
Ah, this may be where our paths are divirging. My entire outlook on life in
general doesn't mesh well with this pilosophy. I have _no_ interest in _punishing_
anybody who has not harmed me. Perhaps this makes me un-american(?) In a society
where cutting somebody off on the freeway can get you shot, maybe needing to hit the
delete key a few times would evoke the ever popular "There aughtta be a law!" reaction.
Also, I believe that the market environment for spammers can change without
costing money. I can't afford $60 a month for using email (using your $2 a day
quote), and I am certain spam does not cost me even a fraction of this amount in time
and resources. I see this as being much like cutting off my head to cure my headache.
You see, I use a spam filter (it's my choice and I control it) which has
managed to reduce my spam to a trickle. I kill the few that get through and go about
my day. If even a single person comes to my door in a week, they have waisted more of
my time than spam has. I hate TV commercials, those cards that fall out of magazines,
phone solicitors, and credit card offers I get in the mail more than spammers. They
waste more of my time, fill up my garbage, give me paper cuts, cut down trees, etc...
And still I feel no impulse to punish someone for them. When people don't like these
things they avoid them as much as possible, and when it's not possible they cope. I
think spam is a decent alternative to these. But perhaps my low spam volume is
unique...
I have had customers who were flooded with spam every day despite our
filtering system. I'm not sure how they managed to get such a huge volume of spam,
but I think they gave their email address out to too many websites or something... In
at least two cases I suggested that they change their email address (I set up an
autoresponder to let people know it had changed, and left it in place for about a
month while deleting the incoming mail). Both people took my advice to keep their
email addresses off of nickelodeon.com or whatever, and the last I heard from one of
them their spam level had dropped to almost nothing. No laws were made, no money was
spent (well, price of phone call and 5 minutes of my time, but none of your tax
dollars), nobody had to be punished. This solution worked. It solved the problem now
and, through the experience, probably for a while into the future. They were
grateful, and I gained some customer loyalty by giving effective, understanding servi!
ce.
I can't imagine what their response would have been if they brought this issue
to me and I told them "Well, there may be a law soon..." or "If you're willing to pay
for every email you send, I may be able to help." Or maybe "You can sue them if you
want." lord knows we need more of that going on...
The internet, like the real world, is a dynamic, often ugly place. People
learn to live in it through adaptation, experience, and a sense of humor (or they
don't, but we rarely pass laws to change society to suit those who couldn't live in
it). The rewards are great.
Email is free, it's easy, it's liberating. I would very much like it to stay
that way. It's worth having an excellent, free meal even if you have to bus your own
table.
If what you are after is some sort of "Revenge of the Spammed", then I think
we are going to have to simply agree to disagree. Spammers are pretty low on my list
of people who need an ass whoopin'. And there are a lot of laws I can imagine that
would do more to make my life easier.
I certainly respect your opinion on this matter, and I think I know you well
enough to be confident that it is well thought out, but I see it as being in conflict
with my best interests and values.
--TimH
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