We're Spamming You To Tell You How Much We Respect Your Privacy

from the who-comes-out-looking-worse? dept

Yesterday there was the story of a startup that sent a marketing message that revealed all the email addresses of people on their list. While the company blamed it on a "technical error" rather than the very human error that it was, they also insisted that the addresses were "secure" despite not being able to really promise that. As if to drive that fact home, a competitor has now spammed the entire list, childishly claiming that they would do a better job "respecting your privacy." Of course, as theRegister points out, if that were true, they wouldn't have gone out and spammed that whole list, would they? In this case, both firms come out looking bad. The first one for not admitting how badly they screwed up, and the second one for exploiting the situation.
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  • identicon
    whosawhat?, 26 Oct 2005 @ 12:41pm

    That sucks.

    The first firm sucks and got screwed by an obvious mistake... It happens and I don't think it is that big a deal...

    The second firm needs to be shot.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      joebob, 26 Oct 2005 @ 1:07pm

      Re: That sucks.

      And how, might I ask, do you shoot a firm?

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Dam, 26 Oct 2005 @ 1:15pm

        Re: That sucks.

        Line the staff up one at a time, shoot them with a Canon EOS and post their pics on a web site.

        Of course, I threatened to do that to people that send me jokes via email with 200-300 email addresses forwarded with the joke.

        It must be equivalent to rocket science to learn how to use the Bcc: function.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          SOLIDUS, 26 Oct 2005 @ 1:35pm

          Re: That sucks.

          I hate spam. No good reason exists for it. I doubt the thousands of spammers ever get paid. n00bz

          link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 26 Oct 2005 @ 2:11pm

            Re: That sucks.

            spammers can make hundred thousands to millions a year.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            amazon10x, 26 Oct 2005 @ 4:51pm

            Re: That sucks.

            I doubt the thousands of spammers ever get paid The reason there is so much spam is because it is very easy to make lots of money doing it.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            amazon10x, 26 Oct 2005 @ 4:51pm

            Re: That sucks.

            I doubt the thousands of spammers ever get paid The reason there is so much spam is because it is very easy to make lots of money doing it.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            amazon10x, 26 Oct 2005 @ 4:52pm

            Re: That sucks.

            I doubt the thousands of spammers ever get paid

            The reason there is so much spam is because it is very easy to make lots of money doing it.

            link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              z0idberg, 27 Oct 2005 @ 2:05am

              Re: That sucks.

              I understand you can make a lot of money sending spam but the real question is are you making any money spamming the comments on techdirt amazon10x?
              :-)

              link to this | view in chronology ]

              • identicon
                thecaptain, 27 Oct 2005 @ 5:01am

                Re: That sucks.

                There's the rub:

                What people hear:

                you CAN make a lot of money from spam.

                However here's the catch that most low scrupled people don't hear (and is almost never said anyway):

                you aren't likely to make a lot of money from spam.

                Spam is a bit like the heyday of the dotcom boom in the nineties, during that time a lot of programmers and web designers were making 6 figures, big bucks and becoming millionaires. These successes were publicized a lot.

                The result? A ton of morons who HATE computers but "heard you could make a lot of money doing this" taking courses and getting jobs in IT. I spent years with programmers who hated their jobs and were in it for the money. Ironically, those guys never got "the money" because they couldn't rise above the level of their own incompetence and are now in other fields or unemployed.

                Spam's like that...you get TONS of idiots who sign up dubious stuff and send out their million spam, make zero bucks and quit or get caught by their ISP or whatever. Meanwhile the big boys and their operations DO make thousands and millions and get the spotlight, drawing in more suckers who also send out their shit...get nothing or very little and leave...and we ALL know there's an endless supply of losers who will try it.

                link to this | view in chronology ]


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