Katherine Esposito <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I should add that I have pursued somewhat the related topic of > spam-as-more -than-just-an-annoyance, if one adds the reality that > some spam can be so overwhelming as to shut recipients down, or can > contain web bugs, or is relayed through insecure servers, etc.
I presume you've already noted that spam can (and often does) go hand-in-hand with violations of good ol' common law, business law, etc. Forgery and fraud are a couple good examples; I'm sure there's more. > I am impressed with how much I have learned these past two months, and > I suspect that this chasm of ignorance which exists between the > techo-geek community and the Windows-oriented public is a serious > obstacle. That is, at least in part, why SpamCon Foundation is here. :) > What can anyone do about the spam problem? I presume you've already read the following four pages, and potentially things linked from them? http://www.spamcon.org/recipients/spam-response/index.shtml http://www.spamcon.org/marketers/index.shtml http://www.spamcon.org/sysadmins/index.shtml http://law.spamcon.org/ The quick answer is: If you are a marketer, you can help stop the spread of spam by not spamming, by following Best Practices, and by encouraging those around you to do likewise. If you are an ISP, you can help stop the spread of spam by creating and enforcing clear policies for your users prohibiting them from *sending* spam, and by taking steps to prevent spam originating elsewhere from reaching your users. If you are a legislator, you can listen to your constitutents - studies have shown that the vast majority of people hate spam. If you're a businessperson, you can ask your legislators to act against spam, since it's making harder for you to get your legitimate messages out - some folks are deleting or blocking anything that looks like an ad, without checking to see whether it's something they've *asked* you to send them. And if you're a consumer, you can ask your legislators to act against spam. Ask them for a law that prohibits sending unsolicited e-mail ads to you without your permission, like the laws in Connecticut and Delaware. Ask them for a law that makes it clear forgery and deceptive advertising are as illegal in e-mail as in other media - there are well over a dozen states with laws already on the books addressing forgery and deception in spam. Ask them for a law that prohibits hiding the true origin of an unsolicited e-mail ad, and the sale of software designed specifically to do that. Ask them for a law that embodies best practices, like having *all* e-mail ads, solicited or not, include instructions on how to unsubscribe permanently. Ask them to give you, and your ISP, the right to sue people who v iolate these laws and victimize you. Those are the best and strongest points of laws that have been passed across the nation; if your legislators give you all that, you'll have the best law in the country, and probably the world. -Dan P.S. I've seen the bills Wisconsin was working on. You deserve better. ;) _______________________________________________ spamcon-general mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.spamcon.org/mailman/listinfo/spamcon-general#subscribers Subscribe, unsubscribe, etc: Use the URL above or send "help" in body of message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Contact administrator: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
