TidBITS#701/13-Oct-03
=====================
The State of California has outlawed spam (again), but will
legislation make a difference? Attorney Brady Johnson weighs in on
why making spam illegal is a difficult proposition. Also in this
issue, Jeff Carlson praises - and mourns - Netflix Fanatic, Apple
announces that Mac OS X 10.3 Panther will ship 24-Oct-03, and we
note the releases of iCal 1.5.1, iSync 1.2.1, StuffIt Standard
Edition 8.0, StuffIt Engine 8.0.1, and ConceptDraw V.
Topics:
MailBITS/13-Oct-03
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther Slated for 24-Oct-03
A Sad Fan of Netflix Fanatic
When Spam Is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Spam
Hot Topics in TidBITS Talk/13-Oct-03
<http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/TidBITS-701.html>
<ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/issues/2003/TidBITS#701_13-Oct-03.etx>
Copyright 2003 TidBITS: Reuse governed by Creative Commons license
<http://www.tidbits.com/terms/> Contact: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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MailBITS/13-Oct-03
------------------
**iCal 1.5.1 and iSync 1.2.1 Released** -- Apple updated its
calendar and synchronization utilities last week, improving
performance and adding support for more devices. iCal 1.5.1 tweaks
the calendar's interface slightly, turning the Info window into
a sliding drawer and adding the capability to set custom category
colors. The new version also adds notes and alarms to To Do items,
supports events in multiple time zones, and can publish or
subscribe to calendars served behind firewalls. The update
is a 6.2 MB download, and requires Mac OS X 10.2.3 or higher.
<http://www.apple.com/ical/>
iSync 1.2.1 adds calendar synchronization for Sony Ericsson P800,
Nokia 3650 and Nokia 7650 phones, plus the capability to transfer
pictures associated with Address Book records that appear when
calls come in from those contacts. Additional synchronization
support has been added for Sony Ericsson T616 and Z600 phones.
If you're a .Mac subscriber and use iSync to synchronize your
Safari bookmarks, iSync can synchronize them for viewing and
editing at bookmarks.mac.com. iSync 1.2.1 is a free 5.5 MB
download and requires Mac OS X 10.2.3 or higher, and iCal 1.5.1
for synchronizing calendars. Palm handheld device users must
install the iSync 1.2 Palm Conduit, an 892K download (an obscure
direct download link is provided at the bottom of the iSync
download page). [JLC]
<http://www.apple.com/isync/>
<http://www.apple.com/isync/download/>
<http://bookmarks.mac.com/>
**StuffIt Standard Edition 8.0 and StuffIt Engine 8.0.1** --
Aladdin Systems has released StuffIt Standard Edition 8.0, the
most recent version of the bundle containing DropStuff, DropZip,
DropTar, and the free StuffIt Expander. New features include
faster compression, interface improvements to DropStuff, and
support for more file formats (see "What's New in StuffIt Deluxe
8.0" in TidBITS-698_ for details). StuffIt Standard Edition 8.0
costs $50, with upgrades for registered users at $15. A free
15-day trial version is available as a 7.2 MB download, and
remember, downloading StuffIt Standard Edition is how you get
the free StuffIt Expander.
<http://www.stuffit.com/mac/standard/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07365>
Don't stop downloading, though, since Aladdin has also released
the free StuffIt Engine 8.0.1 Updater for all versions of StuffIt.
It addresses an issue where a bundled Mac OS X application (as
opposed to a Classic application or a single-file application)
compressed in a .sit file (as opposed to StuffIt's more modern
.sitx file format), won't launch after being expanded. The problem
stems from the fact that the .sit file format predates (and thus
can't store) Unix file permissions that are necessary for bundled
Mac OS X applications to launch. To work around this limitation,
Aladdin previously set the execution bit on all expanded files,
but Apple warned against that approach, so Aladdin removed the
workaround in StuffIt 8.0. Unfortunately, failing to set the
execution bit properly proved too inconvenient for users, so the
StuffIt Engine 8.0.1 Updater restores the previous workaround
until Aladdin can develop a more elegant solution. You can avoid
the problem with bundled Mac OS X applications by using the .sitx
file format (everyone who has StuffIt Expander 7.0, which shipped
with Mac OS X 10.2 and the last security update for Mac OS X
10.1.5, can expand .sitx files). The StuffIt Engine 8.0.1
Updater is a 3.9 MB download. [ACE]
<http://www.stuffit.com/mac/deluxe/updates.html>
<http://www.aladdinsys.com/support/techsupport/qanda.php?id=534>
**ConceptDraw V Released** -- CS Odessa has released ConceptDraw
V, a major revision to their powerful business diagramming package
(see "Make the Connection with ConceptDraw" in TidBITS-553_ for a
full review of an earlier version). New features include XML for
Visio support (enabling document exchange with Microsoft Visio),
a BASIC-compatible built-in scripting language, more-capable
connectors, named styles, new shape collections, document preview
in the Open dialog, automatic saving and recovery, database
integration via the scripting language, and user authorization.
CS Odessa also completely rewrote ConceptDraw's graphics engine
to provide anti-aliased text and WYSIWYG text editing. Finally,
ConceptDraw V received a complete interface overhaul to add
floating palettes and customizable toolbars, enhanced PowerPoint
import/export, and support for more graphic file formats.
ConceptDraw V Standard costs $150, with upgrades at $80. The
Professional version costs $350 with $100 upgrades. [ACE]
<http://www.conceptdraw.com/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=06179>
Mac OS X 10.3 Panther Slated for 24-Oct-03
------------------------------------------
by Mark H. Anbinder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Apple Computer announced last week that Mac OS X 10.3 Panther,
this year's new version of the Mac OS X operating system, will
be available at Apple's retail stores and authorized resellers
at 8:00 PM on Friday, 24-Oct-03. Panther Server, or Mac OS X
Server 10.3, will be released at the same time. Panther boasts
a completely rewritten and redesigned Finder, offering faster
searching and a user interface showing its first major evolution
away from the remnants of the NeXT user interface. New features
include Expose, a clever way of selecting from among all open
windows; iChat AV, an audio- and video-enabled version of Apple's
chat software; fast user switching; FileVault home directory
encryption and other security enhancements; and behind-the-scenes
synchronization of the user's iDisk to a local folder for offline
work. (See "Mac OS X Panther Springs at WWDC" in TidBITS-685_.)
<http://www.apple.com/macosx/overview/>
<http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07242>
Panther supports all PowerPC G3- and G4-based Macs that shipped
with USB ports (which eliminates a few older PowerPC G3 models
that worked with Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar), plus the new Power Mac
G5s. It is available for pre-order immediately from the Apple
Store or other Apple retailers like Small Dog Electronics at a
single-user price of $130 or a "family pack" price (for up to five
users at the same residence) of $200. Panther Server costs $500
for the 10-client edition and $1,000 for the unlimited-client
edition.
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tlkthrd=2084>
<http://store.apple.com/>
<http://www.smalldog.com/category/x/x/Productivity/Software+Operating/
wag201/wag100201/>
Anyone purchasing Mac OS X or a new Mac on or after 08-Oct-03, or
anyone who's purchased a Power Mac G5 at all, is entitled to a Mac
OS Up-To-Date upgrade to Panther for a $20 shipping and handling
fee; a corresponding Panther Server offer is available to anyone
who purchases Mac OS X Server or an Xserve today or later. The
Up-To-Date policy of favoring Power Mac G5 owners, regardless
of purchase date, has rankled users who ordered new PowerBooks
when they were announced only a few weeks before the Panther
announcement. Although Apple's official line is that non-G5 Macs
are eligible for the Up-To-Date pricing only if bought after
08-Oct-03, many PowerBook owners (including TidBITS readers
and staffers) are reporting mixed success when entering their
machines' serial numbers in Apple's online form; in a few cases,
attempts late last week failed, but retries over the weekend were
successful.
<http://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/>
A Sad Fan of Netflix Fanatic
----------------------------
by Jeff Carlson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Not only am I a huge fan of Netflix, the popular online DVD rental
service, it turns out that I'm one of its better customers. For
$20 per month, Netflix sends me three DVD movies from a list of
titles that I set up, which I can watch at my leisure without
worrying about incurring late fees. After I've watched a movie,
I slide the disc into a prepaid envelope, drop it into the mail,
and wait a couple of days for the next movie on my list to arrive.
Although I'm limited to checking three movies out at a time
(you can pay more to get more movies at once), thanks to the
fast turnaround I can watch potentially dozens of movies per
month and still pay only $20. (For a more comprehensive look
at Netflix, see "Worthy Web Sites: Get Your Kicks with Netflix"
in TidBITS-604_.)
<http://www.netflix.com/>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=06622>
However, I've found that I don't churn through all that many
movies in a month. In fact, during especially hectic work periods
I've been known to hang onto the same two or three movies for a
month or two - which totally blows the cost benefit for me, and
no doubt makes me a prized catch for Netflix. With no late fees,
we both win: I can still watch a movie when I get the chance,
and Netflix doesn't have to pay delivery or stocking costs for
my orders.
Before you shake your head and wonder how I managed to pass basic
high school math and economics classes, you must understand that
only part of my monthly cost, in my view, is going toward
supplying me with movies on a regular basis. I'm more than happy
to pay because Netflix gives me what I've otherwise been unable
to keep consistent: an ongoing list of movies to watch.
When someone recommends a movie to me, it goes into my Netflix
Queue. This is especially good for those classic movies that
everyone I know has seen, but which I've somehow missed. With
my persistent Netflix Queue, I no longer have to stand in Big
Corporate Video Rental Store at 10:00 PM racking my brain to
remember the title of the Oscar-winning film directed by that
guy and starring what's-her-name.
The problem with this system is that those worthwhile movies are
often pushed aside by new releases or other movies that I'd rather
see sooner. I can rearrange my Netflix Queue online, but it's a
bit of a hassle: I need to renumber the items in text fields,
apply the change, and hope I didn't mark two entries with the
same number.
**Becoming a Netflix Fanatic** -- I'm obviously not the only one
to find this process annoying, which is why I was intrigued to
download the $10 shareware Netflix Fanatic, a Mac OS X application
from Cricket Media that helps you manage your Netflix Queue
without using a Web browser. You can use it to search for movies
and add them to your list, see which movies you have checked out,
view a list of movies you've selected but which haven't been
released, and scroll through your rental history. Netflix Fanatic
reads the cookie information from your Web browser, so you don't
even need to configure it with login information.
In Netflix Fanatic's Queue tab, you can simply drag titles to
change their order, Shift-click to select multiple titles before
rearranging them, and add personal notes to a title's text field.
But what makes me slightly giddy is the capability to shuffle
(randomize) the Netflix Queue at the click of a button. With
dozens of movies in my list, I can hit Shuffle, close the
application, and see what arrives next. It's a great way to get
out of a movie rut (for example, it's easy to go on a science
fiction bender).
**Here Today...** Sadly, Netflix Fanatic turned out to be too good
to be true. As I started to write this article, I was surprised
and dismayed to discover that the developer has been forced to
stop distributing it due to a dispute with his employer (which is
not Netflix) over who owns the program. Based on the note at the
program's home page, the developer believes his employer has no
ownership over software created during personal time and on
personal equipment, but that he doesn't have the financial
resources to fight back or become a full-time freelance
programmer.
<http://www.cricketmedia.com/software/netflix/>
However, existing copies of the program remain $10 shareware, and
even though Cricket Media no longer distributes the program, you
can still download Netflix Fanatic 1.1.4 from a mirror site in the
Info-Mac Archive. It's also possible that another developer may
rewrite Netflix Fanatic to avoid the problem.
<ftp://ftp.tidbits.com/info-mac/app/netflix-fanatic-114.hqx>
I don't know anything more about the situation other than what
the author has posted, so I can't speculate as to who's in the
right here. But the end result is that a novel program that
enhanced a popular service won't see any further development,
which is a shame. I'll still use my copy, and enjoy the way it
has broadened my movie viewing experience. If you use Netflix
and run Mac OS X, you should grab a copy as well.
When Spam Is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Spam
---------------------------------------------
by Brady Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Spam is known to the law as "unsolicited commercial electronic
mail," or UCE, and is usually defined as email in which someone
is trying to sell someone else a product or service, or otherwise
part recipients from their money. Recently, the State of
California passed a tough new anti-spam statute that goes
into effect on 01-Jan-04. The new California statute departs from
others of its kind in a number of respects (something California
is becoming increasingly good at doing). One of the more telling
departures is that it uses the legally informal term "spam"
throughout, although it does use the more legalistic "UCE" where
a more specific definition is needed.
I don't need to tell TidBITS readers that spam is a worsening
problem afflicting the Internet. According to Brightmail, spam has
increased from only 7 percent of total email traffic in April 2001
to a whopping 54 percent in September 2003.
<http://www.brightmail.com/spamstats.html>
<http://www.brightmail.com/pressreleases/070103_uk_spam_summit.html>
Sending spam carries very little cost to the spammer because the
costs are borne by ISPs, which pass them on to consumers in the
form of increased access charges. According to a report from San
Francisco-based Ferris Research, spam cost companies in the United
States over $10 billion last year - just imagine the late Carl
Sagan saying "billions and billions" and you'll get the picture -
in lost worker productivity, technical solutions, and wasted
bandwidth. An abstract of the study is available free. The
full study requires a subscription.
<http://www.ferris.com/offer/spam.html>
Users are mad as hell about spam. A Harris poll taken two and a
half years ago showed that 49 percent of users wanted an outright
ban on spam. In a followup, titled "Large Majority of Those Online
Wants Spamming Banned," Harris found that that number jumped to 80
percent by late 2002, and it's probably even higher now.
<http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=348>
The number of complaints received by state Attorneys General and
the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has skyrocketed, and consumer
pressure to control spam is being felt at all levels of state and
federal government. To date, 36 states have passed laws dealing
with spam.
<http://www.spamlaws.com/state/>
The Washington and California statutes are the most aggressive of
the batch. Both have been vigorously challenged in the courts on
various grounds, and both have ultimately been upheld. Heartened
by these judicial affirmations, California has now enacted an even
stronger statute that is already generating renewed controversy.
**A New Model** -- In 1998 California enacted one of the first
and strongest anti-spam statutes in the nation (see "California
Outlaws Spam" in TidBITS-448_). Defining spam as unwanted
commercial email intended to sell a product or service, the
law required spammers to identify their email by putting "ADV:"
in the subject line or "ADV:ADLT" for adult-oriented email. While
individuals were not granted the right to sue, ISPs were empowered
to sue spammers for violations and to obtain a judgment for
significant penalties. The law was promptly challenged. In
Ferguson v. FriendFinders, Inc. a lower court found it to be an
unconstitutional violation of the U.S. Constitution's interstate
commerce clause. The California appellate court disagreed and the
law remained in force.
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05109>
<http://www.spamlaws.com/cases/ferguson.html>
There is no indication that California's law has stemmed the tide
of spam or even caused much spam to be labeled. Indeed, the volume
of spam flooding the Internet has steadily increased despite such
laws. Undaunted by failure, in September 2003 the California
legislature enacted an even more sweeping statute.
<http://www.spamlaws.com/state/ca1.html>
The new law keeps certain features of the old one. For example,
spammers must still include "ADV" or "ADV:ADLT" in the subject
line, and must provide an 800 number or valid email address
allowing recipients to request removal. But the changes in the
new law are very significant.
The new statute completely bans all UCE unless specifically
requested or authorized by the recipient. Like the old law, it is
still limited to spammers using equipment in California or sending
to recipients in California. But individuals now have the right
to sue spammers for violating the law and to collect either
actual damages or $500 per spam up to a limit of $1 million per
"incident." An "incident" is "a single transmission or delivery
to a single recipient or to multiple recipients of unsolicited
commercial email advertisement containing substantially similar
content."
One of the more sweeping provisions of the new statute prohibits
anyone from collecting email addresses from the Internet for the
purpose of sending spam to Californians or from California. In
short, California is targeting address harvesting regardless of
where the acts occur if the intent is to use the addresses to
spam Californians.
There are a number of legal and practical hurdles this new statute
will have to overcome. The following are some examples.
**Commerce Clause** -- The commerce clause is found in the U.S.
Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 3.
<http://www.house.gov/Constitution/Constitution.html>
On its face, the commerce clause merely gives Congress the
authority to "regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among
the several States, and with the Indian Tribes." However, a huge
body of law has grown up around this short phrase. The commerce
clause issues are fascinating (well, to me anyway). Unfortunately,
they are also incredibly complex and far beyond the scope of this
article. So I will simply point out that the issue exists, that
there is a lot of debate over how the commerce clause should be
applied to Internet commerce, and that the issues are far from
resolved. Partly because of the commerce clause issues, when
Congress enacts legislation on spam it may abrogate state laws
either entirely or in part.
Implicit in the commerce clause is the "dormant commerce clause."
That doctrine holds that there are certain areas in which states
cannot legislate even if Congress has not acted. The principle
commerce clause challenges to spam arise under the dormant
commerce clause doctrine. The argument runs like this:
State boundaries are irrelevant to the Internet, and thus to spam.
All Internet email is necessarily interstate. It travels across
interstate lines and is relayed via servers that could be anywhere
in the world. Any regulation by any state necessarily affects
interstate commerce, and one state's laws will necessarily affect
spammers in other states. Thus, argue opponents of spam
legislation, no state regulation of spam is possible without
violating the commerce clause. Only Congress can legislate
over such an inherently interstate activity.
The previous California statute survived a dormant commerce clause
challenge because the court found that the statute applied only
to (a) spammers using equipment located in California; and (b)
spammers sending email to California residents. Because the effect
of the law restricted only California-specific conduct, the court
found that the commerce clause was not violated.
I anticipate a renewed challenge to the new statute under the
commerce clause. I suspect that at least one clause in the new
statute will not fare so well under a commerce clause analysis,
and will be stricken. The new statute makes it "unlawful for
any person or entity to collect electronic mail addresses posted
on the Internet if the purpose of the collection is for the
electronic mail addresses to be used" to initiate or advertise
in an unsolicited commercial email advertisement to or from
California. This provision applies to everyone, everywhere,
who is collecting email addresses if the purpose is to spam
Californians - regardless of whether they actually carry
through on it.
**First Amendment** -- There has been much hoopla recently over
a Colorado federal court decision blocking the Federal Trade
Commission's (FTC) "Do Not Call" list because it may violate
telemarketers' free speech rights. Telemarketing is similar to
spam in a number of respects, and the arguments leveled against
the "Do Not Call" list can easily be applied to spam laws. Indeed,
advocates of spam have consistently argued to state legislatures
that anti-spam laws violate the First Amendment. However, to date
those arguments have not been a key part of the court decisions
upholding the statutes.
The federal court of appeals has now stayed the Colorado federal
court's decision and the "Do Not Call" list is moving forward.
However, I anticipate that we will see additional First Amendment
challenges to spam laws, and the California statute is ripe for
challenge.
**Jurisdiction** -- Most of the complaints about the jurisdiction
of a state to go after spammers in another state or abroad are
actually enforcement issues. The legal issues of when a state
has jurisdiction over out-of-state entities are fairly well
established.
I believe that all states have enacted a form of law called a
"long arm statute." In essence, long arm jurisdiction extends
to any person or entity who takes advantage of the benefits
of a state's laws. Even minimum contact with a state confers
jurisdiction if the contact is enough to invoke the protections
of state law. So, for example, a company that sells products
via a catalog and has customers in a particular state can sue
a customer under state law for failing to pay. But that company
can also be sued by the customer under state law for failure to
deliver or other breaches.
There is little question that a spammer soliciting sales in
California is subject to California law. But this is a good point
to segue from the legal challenges to the practical ones. A big
practical question is: how do you find spammers?
In order to start a lawsuit, the plaintiff must physically hand
the defendant a copy of the complaint. This is known as "service
of process." It is difficult to serve someone unless you can find
them. In the 1998 case that I helped Adam and his fellow TidBITS
editors bring against an outfit called "WorldTouch Network," the
defendant played a shell game with false company offices, at least
two fake names, and multiple fictitious addresses. After the
litigation started, he actually changed his business address
once a month. (See "TidBITS Sues Spammer" in TidBITS-439_, and
"Spam Damned in Washington State" in TidBITS-583_.)
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=05000>
<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=06458>
[Editor's Note: Our spammer, Christopher Joyce, is still in
the low-carbohydrate food business with O' So Lo Foods, and
we periodically hear about him from ex-employees or potential
investors. We're keeping an eye on the situation; although our
default judgment is good for ten years, we have no particular
desire to be vindictive. -Adam]
<http://www.osolo.com/>
The solution to not being able to find someone to serve papers is
to use a process called "service by publication," in which the
court approves publication of the complaint in the local papers.
After a period of time, the complaint is considered to have been
served and the case can proceed.
That may solve the legal issue, but it does nothing to solve the
practical problem. After all, if you can't find the defendant,
how are you going to collect on your judgment? At some point, it
becomes necessary to identify and locate the defendant physically.
**Enforcement** -- Under long-arm statutes, even off-shore
merchants doing business in the U.S. are subject to U.S. law,
including the laws of the states they sell in. If the spammer is
a legitimate business that values its reputation and customers,
there is little problem enforcing a judgment. But most spammers
are anything but legitimate business. They do everything possible
to mask their identities and location, including hiding in other
countries that don't have or enforce spam laws. If you obtain a
judgment in a California court, will you try enforcing it in
China? The Bahamas? It is highly unlikely. Even in countries that
have reciprocal enforcement of judgments treaties with the U.S.,
the costs of enforcing a judgment abroad are usually prohibitive
for the average spam victim.
**Collection** -- But let's say that you are one of the fortunate
ones who locates, serves and gets a judgment against a spammer.
Will you collect your riches? Again we run into the disparity
between legitimate businesses who care about their reputation
and customers, and the majority of spammers who care nothing for
either. It is likely that even having identified the live body
of the spammer, a plaintiff will have to pursue execution of the
judgment. No, that doesn't mean executing the spammer (popular
though that option might be with some people). "Execution" is
legalese for the court procedures that include garnishing wages,
bank accounts, and the like. Execution can be costly, time
consuming, and often will net the plaintiff only a portion of
the judgment. Of course, that will be further reduced by the
amount of attorney fees racked up in the course of executing
on the judgment.
**Conclusion** -- The new California statute definitely pushes the
envelope. It bans all unsolicited commercial email unless the
recipient has agreed to receive it. It creates a private right
of action allowing individuals to sue for damages for each item
or incident, and it bans harvesting email addresses for the
purpose of spamming Californians.
The new statute will inevitably draw court challenges. While some
of the statute may be stricken as overbroad or violating federal
law or the Constitution, most of it appears to be in line with law
that has already survived such challenges. The law is deliberately
modular, or in legalese "severable," so that portions can be
excised if a challenge is successful, while leaving the rest of
the statute intact.
Unfortunately, spam laws won't stop spam, nor will they even stem
the tide, if experience so far is any guide. The old California
statute did not reduce or even noticeably slow the increase in
spam. I hold no great hope that the new statute will do any
better. Legitimate businesses have already altered their practices
to comply with existing spam law, and will no doubt do their best
to comply with the new one. But legitimate business accounts for
only a small amount of the spam we receive. Most spammers will
simply keep on spamming. The new law will doubtless create a
flurry of new court actions against spammers, resulting in more
default judgments that can't be collected. And the spammers will
keep spamming.
Lest I sound unduly bleak, I am not suggesting that there is no
solution to the spam problem. However I do not believe that the
law will stop or reduce spam.
Legal remedies are great for deceptive, misleading and fraudulent
marketing practices - but those things have been illegal for a
long time. Spam laws should be able to give law enforcement needed
tools to go after spammers (focusing on the most egregious ones),
and to allow individuals who are so inclined to go after them as
well. But the Internet is a global phenomenon. State boundaries
are largely irrelevant to the Internet, and state spam laws
will do little or nothing to solve the larger problem. On the
other hand, passing more laws amounts to more regulation of the
Internet, and sets an increasingly popular precedent for further
regulation. Be careful what you wish for!
I believe that the solution to the problem of spam is
technological. For example, I receive between 100 and 200 spam
messages each day, but 98 percent of those are filtered out by
Eudora 6.0's Bayesian spam filter. True, I must regularly review
the collected mess of Nigerian political refugees looking for a
kind stranger to help launder a few million dollars, the offers
to enlarge various body parts (some of which I don't have), and
the ever popular get-rich-quick schemes so that I can find any
false hits and rescue them. But as annoying as this is, it is
currently the cost of using a largely unregulated forum such
as the Internet in a capitalist society that values free speech
and privacy.
[Brady Johnson is a grouchy attorney in Seattle who really, really
hates spam.]
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by TidBITS Staff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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