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Combating Spam

eWEEK's Eric Lundquist recalls the first spam and the ongoing war against it.

In his open e-mail letter ``Towards a Spam-free Future,`` Bill Gates begins his remarks with the development of e-mail in the early 1970s. But when was the first spam message? For that answer, you'd have to turn to Brad Templeton's Home Page (www.templetons.com/brad), and there you would learn that on May 3, 1978, a representative for Digital Equipment sent out an e-mail to ARPAnet users stating in part and in capital letters, ``We invite you to come see the 2020 and hear about the DECsystem-20 family at the two product presentations we will be giving in California this month.``

(Original story published 2003-07-07 by eWEEK at http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,1185271,00.asp )

Behind the Spam

Many internet users receive more junk mail messages -- aka spam -- than emails from friends, family and colleagues combined. Spammers are gobbling up bandwidth, clogging up servers and taking up untold amounts of human and processor time. Some American states have passed laws in an attempt to regulate the renegade industry, but the amount of spam continues to snowball. Shift tracked down three lovely people -- we'll refer to them simply as "Spammer 1", "Spammer 2" and "Spammer 3" -- who play a part in contributing to that mess you get in your inbox every day. Spammer 1

The Pitch: PROMOTE YOUR PRODUCTS TO MILLIONS TODAY!

The Product: CD-ROMs containing thousands of email addresses

Spammer 1's Story: He's a self-described "professional entrepreneur." This thirtysomething had his own lawn-spraying business before setting up his one-man office in Belleville, Illinois, where he sells email addresses to small businesses. He draws the line at sending out messages advertising porn or casinos -- but he happily sends out spam for companies selling back-up power supplies and advising how to obtain social security benefits. Spammer 1 also plans to "send an email to the whole entire world" for World Prayer Day. His hobbies include long-distance cycling and going on riverboat rides on the Mississippi with his two sons.

On What His Neighbour Thinks: "My family is in a big feud with him," says Spammer 1. "We're spammers and our neighbour hosts websites. He yells over the fence at us, 'You F***ing spammers!' There's a lot of hatred out there, even though what we're doing is perfectly legal. Plus, sending email is good for the environment because it saves trees."

(Original story published 2003-01-01 by Shift.com at http://www.shift.com/content/10.5/434/1.html )

Michigan anti-spam law could be in place by fall

Michigan is getting closer to some sort of anti-spam legislation after both House and Senate bills were approved by their respective committees this week.

The toughest of the bills remains the Senate version, introduced by Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Rochester. It would create a do-not-spam list in which consumers could register their intent not to receive spam.

The House bill would require spam to be clearly identified as an advertisement with a label that would allow consumers to filter it out of their in box. Both bills would prohibit spammers from forging the sender's address in an e-mail header or otherwise pretending to be someone else.

(Original story published 2003-06-06 by Detroit Free Press at http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mwend6_20030606.htm )

Emailing without permission? Then worry

New anti-spam laws being be ushered in later this year will have a massive impact on genuine email marketers and any 'cold-cald' emails of any nature, say lawyers.

The EU directive - which defines spam as any unsolicited mail - is set to become law at the end of October, and could result in any marketing emailers being taken to court.

The new regulations will prevent companies from using any form of electronic communication, such as newsletters or marketing offers, without first gaining the consent of the recipient.

(Original story published 2003-06-06 by Net Imperative at http://www.netimperative.com/cmn/viewdoc.jsp?cat=all&docid=BEP1_News_0000053542 )

Cutting Spam Down To Size

NEW YORK - How many clever or not-too-clever phrases have been written about people's feelings concerning spam, that is, unwanted commercial e-mail? We'd like to can it, kill it, squash it, fry it and shred it. Yet it still keeps popping up in the in-box, mocking us to do something about it.

Enraging as it is, spam has become one of the pitfalls of using the Internet. Do your best to avoid it, but it will probably find you one way or another. In that case, you can tolerate a certain amount of it and accept it as one of the prices we pay to use e-mail.

But who wants to do that? Most of us just wish it would go away. But that's unlikely. As much as 45% of all e-mail sent this year will be spam and, by 2007, some forecasts suggest that spam may account for 70% of all e-mail. Given statistical trends like that, simply using e-mail is essentially an unintentional invitation to get spam, like having a telephone is an unintended invitation to get calls from telemarketers. And given that comparison, living a life that includes using e-mail yet is spam-free seems unlikely--unless you are very lucky.

(Original story published 2003-06-04 by Forbes at http://www.forbes.com/2003/06/04/cx_ah_0604tentech.html )

Spamology

In 1937, an Austin, Minn.-based company called Hormel Foods held a contest. Hormel's Spiced Ham, it seems, needed a new name ? something "as distinctive as the taste," the company's official history goes. The winner was one Kenneth Daigneau, a Broadway actor and, ahem, brother to a Hormel executive. He took home $100 and gave the world Spam.

Sixty years later, Hormel was trying to prevent the name of its product from leaking into the popular lexicon as a label for, of all things, electronic junk mail. In a 1997 letter, Hormel demanded that Sanford Wallace, who ran a huge bulk e-mailing business under domain names like spamford.com and spamford.net, "cease and desist from all further use of the trademark Spam."

"You can more responsibly refer to your business as bulk e-mail or by similar longstanding terminology," the letter said.

(Original story published 2003-06-01 by New York Times at http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/01/weekinreview/01ZELL.html?tntemail0 )

California Anti-Spam Law Questioned

Experts say the new law provides little hope of reducing the number of junk messages clogging Californians' E-mail boxes.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- A new state law that targets unsolicited bulk E-mails peddling everything from low mortgages to Viagra likely stands little chance of reducing the number of junk messages clogging Californians' E-mail boxes.

Even if the law, supposed to take effect Jan. 1, passes expected court challenges, it's still unlikely to stem the flow of spam, according to legal and E-mail experts.

(Original story published 2003-09-26 by Information Week at http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=15200521 )

NATIONAL ``SPAM AND THE LAW`` CONFERENCE

United States laws regarding spam are nothing if not a confusing hodge-podge of frequently incomprehensible, often ineffectual attempts at achieving balance between senders and receivers of email. The attorneys themselves often can't make heads nor tails of all of the different state laws and case law operating in tension with each other, and yet you are subject to them every time you press 'send' or make a decision to accept or reject email coming in through your system.

(Original story published 2003-09-07 by ISIPP at http://www.isipp.com/news.php )

New spam technique exploits news events

E-mail marketers increasingly are sending unsolicited e-mail with subject headers disguised as news alerts to fool consumers into opening them. The tactic surfaced during the U.S. war against Iraq this year. Now it is gaining steam as Californians near an Oct. 7 gubernatorial recall election and could become an online nuisance during the 2004 presidential election. Spammers "used to use sex to get your attention, then e-mails tied to holidays like Mother's Day. Now, it's topical come-ons," says spam analyst Matt Cain of META Group. "The intent of every spammer is to try every trick to get you to open a message."

(Original story published 2003-09-11 by USA TODAY at http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-09-11-spam_x.htm )

Survey says Americans support ``do not spam list``

WASHINGTON (Reuters) ? New York senator Charles Schumer released a poll Wednesday showing that many Americans support his proposal for a "do not spam" registry, even though it has made little headway in Washington. Schumer, a Democrat, has touted the list as an easy way for consumers to clear their e-mail inboxes of get-rich-quick schemes, snake-oil medicine and other unwanted "spam" messages.

(Original story published 2003-10-15 by USAToday at http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2003-10-15-no-spam-list-survey_x.htm )

Fan accused of sending spam from team officials addresses

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ? An angry Philadelphia Phillies fan was arrested Tuesday, accused of sending spam e-mail attacks using the return e-mail addresses of team officials and Philadelphia newspaper reporters, a federal prosecutor said. Allan Eric Carlson, arrested at his home in Glendale, Calif., is accused of electronically breaking into computers around the country, then using the return addresses of reporters for The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News as well as e-mail accounts at the Phillies' offices to send thousands of unwanted e-mail messages.

(Original story published 2003-10-08 by USAToday at http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/computersecurity/2003-10-08-phillies_x.htm )

Congress Debating Legislation To `Can Spam`

Bills Would Enact Protection Similar To Telemarketer Do-Not-Call List

WASHINGTON -- Congress is currently working on a so-called do-not-call list for your computer. Lawmakers are trying to agree on new rules to protect computer users from unwanted spam.

(Original story published 2003-10-20 by WBAL-TV 11 at http://www.thewbalchannel.com/money/2567588/detail.html )