Fighting spam (no, er, spam, please)

[fable]

This just appeared in the Boston Globe:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Microsoft Corp., moving to protect its Internet services, has sued 15 companies it alleges are responsible for collectively sending more than 2 billion unsolicited and deceptive commercial e-mails to its members and customers.

In one of the most sweeping legal actions yet against unwanted e-mail, known as spam, the world's largest software company said yesterday it has joined the growing ranks of Internet service providers turning to courts to help fight the torrent of junk messages that threatens to overwhelm the Internet.

''It has become obvious that our delete key will not solve this problem,'' Washington state Attorney General Christine Gregoire said at a Microsoft press conference.

Capitalizing on tough antispam and consumer protection statutes, Microsoft filed a dozen civil complaints in its home state of Washington and one in California against companies accused of sending spam to users of its MSN and Hotmail services. Microsoft also sued two individuals in the United Kingdom, whose identity it does not yet know, for attempting to harvest MSN e-mail addresses from Microsoft's computer servers.

''Spam is a growing problem, and it's a global problem,'' said Brad Smith, senior vice president and corporate counsel for Microsoft. Microsoft's volley of 15 lawsuits, clearly intended as a powerful statement from one of the world's technology giants, follows legal actions by other big Internet service providers. AOL Time Warner Inc.'s America Online division, Yahoo Inc., and others are developing and buying software intended to block spam before it reaches their customers. But increasingly they have looked also to legislation and litigation to force spammers out of business. Earthlink Inc. has won two multimillion-dollar judgments against spammers since last year and persuaded New York officials to file criminal forgery charges against an egregious marketer in Buffalo...

In one case, filed in Washington state's King County Superior Court, Microsoft alleged that XPays Inc., a San Francisco company that runs pornographic websites, sent unsolicited e-mail containing ''explicit images'' to Microsoft's users. XPays also allegedly used a technique called ''spoofing'' to mask the sender's e-mail address with ones borrowed from MSN and Hotmail customers -- similar to sending a letter on stolen letterhead. A woman who answered the telephone at XPays said the company would have no comment.

Other plaintiffs named in the Washington state lawsuits include Email Gold Inc. of Dayton, Ohio; the E-Offer Store of Haddonfield, N.J.; Giantlinks Inc. and TranzAct Media Inc. of New York; Global Media Inc. of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Interweb Hosting LLC of Pittsburgh; RHC Direct LLC of Murray, Utah; Rockin Time Holdings Inc. of Miami; and VMS Inc. (also identified as Proform4Life Inc.) of Port Richey, Fla. None could be reached for comment yesterday.

Microsoft also sued PointCom Inc., of Canoga Park, Calif., in federal court. Among other things, PointCom, often using servers in Belize, allegedly told recipients that viruses had infected their computers and instructed them to download antidote software. In fact, Microsoft said, the virus claims were often false, and the downloaded software enabled PointCom to track the user's Internet surfing. PointCom did not respond to requests for comment by telephone and e-mail.

Microsoft itself has been accused of allowing spammers to hawk their wares from Hotmail e-mail accounts. The company in March began limiting subscribers to 100 outbound messages a day to prevent bulk e-mailing...

Massachusetts is considering an antispam bill similar to those in Washington state and California. A bill sponsored by Massachusetts state Senator Jarrett T. Barrios and Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly aims to make it easier for Internet service providers to file lawsuits. If passed into law, the measure would allow the state, ISPs, and consumers to sue spammers for as much as $500 for each unwanted commercial e-mail not identified in the subject line as an advertisement or adult-oriented message.

Your opinions?

[dragon wench]

Personally, I would love to see the entire book thrown at those people polluting inboxes with hardcore porn and all kinds of other crap. It is intrusive in the extreme; moreover, when deleting the stuff it can be quite easy to accidently junk something that is actually important. Grrr.. I feel the same way about "conventional" junkmail.

[Xandax]

I hate companies and people that send spam mail, and I know it is illigal in danish law to send such offers to people withouth their consent, but there is little any one of us can do.
That microsoft seems to do something about it now for whatever sinister motive they might have is a positive thing as I see it.

I recive upwards to 20-30 spam emails a day on my 4 email accounts where 1 is "public" availible via the moderators emails here on gamebanshee. Luckily automatic rules in various software will just download some into the "deleted folder" and autodelete on closing the program, it is still many.

The problem with spam mail as it is in todays form, is it can quickly lead to a implementing of cost on sending emails.
The reason spam mail is so widespread is there is virtual no cost connected to sending out millions of mails via emails.
This have led the "inventer" of the emailsystem to suggest that a fee should be connceted to the email - so you have to pay-per-use. This is a conseqence I see in the not so distant future, but it is not one I like per se.

So I really wish Microsoft can give these companies a very good beating in court.

[Chanak]

Our culture is inundated with spam. Whether it's internet spam or telemarketers over the phone, we're assaulted by marketing ploys incessantly, day and night. While I support people making their living, I draw the line when it comes to the privacy of our homes, and email accounts. It's bad enough that we must deal with pop-ups on websites...

The spammers keep coming up with new and innovative ways to circumnavigate the safeguards ISPs put in place to thwart their unwanted advances, a sign to me of criminal activity. Any persistent unwanted and unwelcome solicitations, IMO, amounts to criminal activity. It's sad that things have degenerated to the point where legal action has become necessary...but the lack of restraint and respect evidenced by the spammers needs to be put in check by the force of law.

[KidD01]

Spam ? as in those canned food ? LOL just joking, fable.

I've done several spam tracking before I post a thread regarding spam figthing in SYM quite a while ago. Nowadays spam mails mostly originated from China or Taiwan website. These guys are pretty smart on covering their tracks - Surprisingly junk mail which I got sometime does not contain sender email address - Yahoo or Hotmail might show "syntax error" on the sender name, worst case the receipient address sometime is not mine, as if they do it purposely.

M$ siding people on spam figthing, that sounds good. Yet with their company report card which mostly have red marks , there are several factors which probably trigger spam fighting movement of this bad guy turn hero company :
1. There're case of false email which contain virus which on the sender side says "support@microsoft.com" spreading not long ago. IIRC this virus have mass mailing trait when infected - same as spam mail MO
2. Publicity stunt, what else ? With case number one above now it's the time for M$ to take advantage of it.

If M$ really wanna do the extreme against spam mail they must sue every company who's involved in spam mail - this means they must sue other nation companies i.e China & Taiwan companies like I mentioned above. Will they do that ? Let's just sit back and watch how M$ & Gates dance on this matter

[Beldin]

"The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't suck is probably the day
they start making vacuum cleaners."


No worries,

Beldin