is SPAM truly an infringement of privacy????

[Phatfish]

On the surface I, like many people, would say yes, SPAM is annoying and sometimes very disruptive. However, I think that the court will strike down any "Do-Not-SPAM" list for individual consumers. The main reason I feel so is because e-mail is not sent or stored directly to person's computer, or is not required to be. It is sent to central servers owned by ISPs and other companies. The sender did not send the e-mail directly to your computer therefore, not crossing the line of privacy. Now, I am sure the ISPs and suck would love some sort of legislation stopping SPAM because it is their computers getting filled with useless information. But I see problems extending that legislation to individuals.


its getting late, in need some rest :)

[greyl]

1. For those whose email is through their own domain name,

(me for example) the unsolicited-commercial e-mail is stored on server space payed for by the targeted consumer. In addition, bandwidth which the domain owner pays for is used.

fwiw

At one of my sites I use this terms of use: (I haven't had the time to follow up and send bills, but I've seen where it's worked and payed off)

"Cosmicseed.net Terms of Use

By using this website you agree to abide by the guidlines set forth in this agreement. Any Unsolicited Commercial use of the server space at cosmicseed.net is subject to the following charges:

Storage of Unsolicited Commercial Email $500.00 per document"

[economic justice]

2. Have you thought

They prosecute hackers all the time. Are they hacking into the business --- or the web host that hosts the site? Obviously, the business. They have purchased the space on the computers at the web host. Just like breaking into a physical business is charged as a crime against XYZ Company - NOT the person or company who actually owns the building.

Just a thought.

[POed_Ex_Repub]

3. You know how I can tell the world economy is REALLY bad?

I don't even get as many spam messages as I used to. :hurts:

[economic justice]

4. Desperate people do desperate things. I get MORE! <eom>

[lfairban]

5. I just checked my trash bin, . . .

. . . I get about 800 spam messages per month. That is over 25 per day! Many of them are virus or worm attacks. Lots of them come from Korea.

Isn't it about time somebody DONE SOMETHING about this?

[rman]

6. for me to read an email it will have to be on my computer

It will have to be transfered from the ISP to my computer, which may involve some cost. Then i'll have to spend time reading the email in order to judge if it's relevant or not.
The sender did send email directly to my email adres, or else i wouldn't receive it. The email is only at its final destination once it has arrived on my PC.

[liberalcapitalist]

7. my platform on spam

http://www.jay.seagraves.com/articles/technology.htm

Similar to the Do Not Call Initiative, I feel that government must step in and do something about e-mail spam. Spam is taking the twenty-first century's greatest and most efficient form of communication and quickly rendering it obsolete, as people are bombed with junk mail and forced to switch to other solutions (instant messaging, etc.). Furthermore, the commercially available "spam blockers" block out too much good mail, hurting the capabilities of e-mail all the more.

First, I propose a law that forbids companies from adding e-mail addresses to their lists without first gaining permission. Second, I support the recent legislation requiring companies to provide easy unsubscription instructions at the bottom of all unsolicited mail. Third, I propose an Action Center where unsolicited spamming can be reported via e-mail or phone. And fourth, I support the empowerment of government to deal with illegal spammers in an appropriate manner.

Many may consider spam to be a minor issue, but it is ruining one of our generation's greatest technological achievements, perhaps on par in importance with the advent of the printing press. I take spam very seriously.

[mrdmk]

8. well yes and no

Spam is more time consuming than anything else is. The Wife is a professor in the UC system and it is not unusual for her to get over a hundred emails in a day. Most of the time fifty percent of that mail is Spam and she has to rake though this mail for important stuff, not so important stuff and Spam. She can be at her computer for four hours just dealing with e-mail.

As far as having to use resources, Spam can eat bandwidth and hard drive space. I personally have six e-mail addresses at this time, four are with my ISP’s pop3 and two are web based. The web base emails are considered disposable and I am very careful with my ISP’s e-mail. Never the less, the web base e-mails boxes are receiving spam as expected as are my ISP’s pop3. Although the e-mail package I use seems very good at picking off the Spam, I still need to add sending addresses to the filter and check to make sure my junk folder only contains junk and not something that is needed.

Then there is the problem of the porn, pills for your ills and other things one is really fed up seeing. There are no children in this family but opening e-mail at work can be a problem. Then there was the problem of selling of e-mail addresses by ISP’s (I will not mention names, “AOL”) of their members and the address they collected from business proposes. The problem is people will try to sell anything for money.

The courts can strike down any law just as much as legislative body can write a law. The do not call list (telephones) actually has worked thus far. Of course, it went from bureaucracy to court to the congress then to the president, but my phone has stopped ringing all the time. I do not see the courts stepping into this one; the spamming people are not as organized as the telemarketing companies are.