On Mon, 14 Oct 1996, HipCrime wrote:
> Hello Nick ...
>
> The definition and acceptability of "spam" is as yet undetermined,
> although federal courts have ruled in favor of FREE SPEECH, deciding
> that unsolicited Email is protected by the same constitution rights
> as any other message.
If you *really* believe this, try dropping in to
news.admin.net-abuse.misc. You will find a ton of people willing to
dis-abuse you of your delusion that 'The definition and acceptability of
"spam" is as yet undeterminedThe definition and acceptability of "spam" is
as yet undetermined'. You could try asking Concentric about the court
injunction they just obtained against Sanford Wallance and his
'Cyber Promotions' email spamming.
> It is interesting to note that the more "technically skilled" a
> particular netizen is, the more likely this person will be to
> complain about unwanted Email.
This translats as 'the more technically competent a person is the more
likely they are to know who, how and where to complain to achieve the
goal of stopping unsolicited bulk email.' Funny that.
> Newbies realize that things like broadcasting, advertising, and
> the like EXIST IN THE REAL WORLD, and as such, fully expect to
> find these things "on the Net".
Not really. They mostly just don't know who to complain to to get you to
stop.
> Please come down from your "ivory tower", and know that the
> Internet is a reflection of our planet's various societies,
> containing tidbits of every aspect of life. This includes
> those day-to-day annoyances like "junk" mail.
>
> Besides, "junk" SnailMail kills trees, which can NOT be said
> for "junk" Email. It's time to "wake up and smell the Java".
>
Junk snailmail *subsidises* first class snailmail. Advertisments
*subsidise* magazines, radio and television programming. Email spamming
*costs* the recipient money. It is sent *postage due*. This kind of abuse
is what led to the anti-junk fax laws a few years ago (oddly enough the
above metnioned Sanford Wallace is widely credited with having been one of
the prime causes with his junk fax business). Every single advertisement
sent this way *raises* my costs for email. This theft is what renders junk
email completely unacceptable. It not only forces me to read unwanted
advertisements - it makes me *pay* to do so against my will.
-- Benjamin Franz