Co-host Patrick Norton of The Screen Savers interviewed a spammer. What did we learn?
In defense of spam
Seventeen-year-old Michael in New Orleans called in to defend his job as a spammer. Here are his main points:Michael's last statement says it all, folks. Spammers are going to do whatever it takes to get your email address and abuse it. They're in the business to make money off of your time and bandwidth. Michael says they don't send spam if you don't want it, but many people have set up email accounts that aren't distributed and they still get spam.
- Spam is a lucrative business. He makes $1,000 a day.
- He buys email lists from suppliers who say the lists are of people who have decided to opt into an email list.
- He only spams people who want it.
- He doesn't get the responses. The responses are forwarded to other people.
- He doesn't think he's infringing on anyone's rights.
- He says the only way to stop spam is to stop using the Internet.
Michael can offer all the arguments he wants, but spammers make money by exploiting our personal information. Whether it's right or wrong can be argued all day long. What everyone agrees on is that spam is annoying.
Michael says you can email him at dirty@hotmail.com, but given Michael's attitude, inconsistent arguments, and profession, chances are his email address isn't working. Or he never checks it. Besides, if you send Michael an email, he'll probably add your email address to his spam list.
Comments
Steven Garrity - May 3, 2003 4:24 pm
I wonder if he actually believes that he "only spams people who want it" or if that's just his canned response. Obviously it's a crock. Spamming people who want it is an oxy-moron since the definition of spam is that it is the abuse of unsolicited email.
The regious amoung us can take comfort in the fact that justice will be servered to this guy in the afterline (a.k.a.: rot in hell).
Alan - May 3, 2003 5:56 pm
I assume that the reason both my work email and my isn web mail...and even my silverorange email for that matter do not get any spam is that the IT brains have fancy filters or I am doing something in my habits that does not attract me onto the spammers' lists. It used to be said usenet posts were how you got stuck with spam. Is that an oldie olsen myth?
Steven Garrity - May 3, 2003 6:22 pm
Alan, to see a good overview of where spam comes from and why some people get more than others, see: Why Am I Getting All This Spam? Unsolicited Commercial E-mail Research Six Month Report
As per the recommendations in this document, our weblogging engine now obfuscates email address (that includes this site, <a href="http://www.actsofvolition.com" title="Acts of Volition">my site</a>, and <a href="http://www.genx40.com" title="GenX at 40">Alan's site</a>).
Alan - May 3, 2003 9:43 pm
I am pleased to be a entry level participant in the silverorange email in blogs obfuscation program ["SEBOP"]. Can we get a snazzy logo that would site the the bottom of the front page of our blogs? Regular monthly meetings? Pamphlets?
Alan - May 4, 2003 10:17 pm
An interesting BBC article on the origins of spam.
Michael aka eGod - May 19, 2003 1:43 pm
Hey this is Michael the spammer, I just searched the web and I ran into you guys. Message me if you'd like on MSN at dirty@hotmail.com. Goodbye.