No Spam List In Missouri
from the good-luck dept
The state of Missouri is trying to institute a "no spam list" which would work like current telemarketing "no call lists" except... that it wouldn't. Those who violate the list will be fined $5,000... if they were to be found, which they won't. It's unlikely your average spammer would care enough to check the Missouri list, or really expect to get caught. If anything, your average spammer might see the list as a good source of fresh email addresses.
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spam
you shouldn't receive email, unless it was solicited by you, or originates from someone you know.
isn't there a much easier technical (as opposed to legal) solution to this? i.e. the salon article you posted earlier?
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Re: spam
However the problem with whitelists is that they must be updated periodically or email stops, and you cannot contribute or use mailing lists, as each message sent to the mailing list would be bounced unless you set up a whitelist entry for them.
I've been using whitelists here for a while and absolutely dispise needing to use them. My personal email is unprotected (which keeps folks in touch with me), but my various support accounts are whitelisted...
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Umm
doing nothing about the problem is only letting it grow. How many articles have we seen recently about the spammer and their 7,000 sq foot homes? The current lack of legislation is letting them get away with this.
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Re: Umm
How many spammers get caught? I've heard of half-a-dozen. If they use a foreign server (which most do,) and hide their email headers, they aren't likely to get caught (although the company listed in the SPAM will most likely be investigated.)
"Do not email" lists only work if they are used, most spammers wouldn't take the time or have the initiative to check a list...after all, how many times have you received a spam which said you were "opted-in" to a mailing list when you don't remember "opting-in" to said mailing list. And how many times have you submitted a remove or visited a website to remove your email address from a spammers list, only to be re-added a month later. Spammers don't care, their business is to send the message out to as many people as possible, and the only deterant is a strict spam enforcement, either proactively or reactively, through legal (bans, arrests, etc.) or technological means (whitelists, blacklists, spam filters, etc..)
The FTC and the other government agencies, for the most part, are clueless when it comes to tracking down spammers and prosecuting them. Those that do are rare, and usually have previous experience in dealing with computer fraud and computer trespassing.
How many articles have we seen recently about the spammer and their 7,000 sq foot homes?
I have yet to read an article about a spammer having a 7k sq ft home, most of the articles I've read state that the spammer is barely breaking even, though they don't have as much to do than most of us, and can spend much of their time doing other things, like a single mother taking care of her kids, etc.
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Re: Umm
There seems to be a big range in what a spammer can make. Sadly, the big money seems not to be in selling stuff through spam, but in selling the service of spamming people. So even if spammers don't make money, if there is a perception they do then guys like Wendland will be making lots of money.
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Re: Umm
Spam steals my time and bandwidth--even though each individual email is only a small cost, there is in fact a real, measurable cost to me.
And yes the spammers most certainly are making a lot of money, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. Think about it--the public stigma that they are willingly accept has to be contered by something--they wouldn't be doing it just to break even.
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Money in spam
There is a ton of money in spam (not just for those who send out the bulk messages). Tens of thousands a week.
How do I know? I was approached by a former business associate that had been kicked off yet another network for spamming and was looking for a new provider. He was willing to spend a great deal of money to send out his spam messages because the return is extraordinarily good - and since he's been doing this for months he was able to back up his claims with proof. Sure - maybe only a small fraction respond - but when you send out millions of messages it adds up quickly.
Yes, people are that stupid - and that's why spam is not about to go away anytime soon.
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Missouri Law is not a list.
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