Spammers, Privacy, Anti-Spam, and Lawsuits

Digital Eco Freak writes "The Washington Post is running a story about a spammer suing to keep his address and personal info private. George Allen Moore Jr. of Linthicum, MD has sued Francis Uy for posting his contact information on the web. He has gotten threatening phone calls and messages, as well as an over-abundance of unsolicited catalgs and packages as a result of Uy's actions. The spammer is getting a taste of his own medicine, but the guy's business address turns out to be the same as his home address, so there may be real safety concerns. Should spammers get some privacy protection too?"

Privacy protection?

[KDan]

What are you talking about? Spammers should be exposed on stalls to have rotten eggs and tomatoes thrown at them. Privacy protection, riiiiight...

Daniel

The real question is..

[Sibeling]

.. how long it will take people to post his address and email adress here..

George Allen Moore Jr. of Linthicum, MD

Bets are now open!

Another clueless journalist

[operagost]

Uy, a self-described "Web geek" who does tech work for a distance learning center at John's Hopkins University, said he remembers the exact date he first saw electronic spam and resolved to fight back. It was April 12, 1994, before e-mail even existed in its current form.

What current form is that? The one with Outlook's broken HTML and macro viruses?

Well...

[acehole]

Maybe we should give them the choice of opting out. That seems to work well for us...

Oh the irony of ironies...

[Anonymous Coward]

Let's see if we can delve into this spammer's thought process...

Day 1: Hmm.. I'll buy this CD of 38 million guaranteed email addresses and send them all viagra emails! If even 1% buy I'll be rich!

Day 2: Lots of emails going out.. not much of a response yet.

Day 3: Woohoo! People are buying my viagra! Let me send out another batch to everyone just in case they didn't read it the first time..

Day 4: Why am I getting all these catalogs I didn't order? Firearms, sporting goods, dolls, tools, what is all this crap? HOW DARE SOMEONE SEND ME SOMETHING WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! I'M GONNA SUE!

Do I win??

[erik1474]

from http://news.spamcop.net/pipermail/spamcop-social/2 003-January/021018.html [spamcop.net]

George Moore Jr.
300 Twin Oaks Road
Linthicum, Md. 21090.

Re:Another clueless journalist

[Anonymous Coward]

What current form is that?

Quoted-Printable encoded Unicode over IMAP! Back in 1994 they were still using 7bit ASCII over SMTP, with Fetchmail if they were lucky! Savages...

No!

[Anonymous Coward]

Should spammers get some privacy protection too?

No!

ahem...speaking as an 'Anonymous Coward'.

Re:Spammers safety

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, I support using violence against spammers. All the built-up aggression from spam over the years can be released by a baseball bat and finding just ONE spammer. Aaah.

Re:reverse situation

[Anonymous Coward]

A simpler solution might have been password protecting your email application and/or giving your kids their own email address. It sounds to me that you used that as an excuse to convince your wife so you can have the computer all to yourself. Not that I blame you but you can be honest with us.

My poor heart bleeds....

[wowbagger]

Gosh, I feel so bad about what is happening to this spammer. Perhaps I will send him a box of chocolates to make him feel better.

C.O.D.

If Moore wins that lawsuit ...

[gotan]

... can we then at least post the address of the judge who thinks that privacy rights of spammers are to be valued over those of their victims?

Re:Privacy protection?

[slaker]

"Privacy protection" smacks of human rights. As a right-thinking person, I can't support human rights for spammers.

In fact, I think the only decision we have to make is "hunt to extinction" or seasonal hunting only.

I am just sad

[Anonymous Coward]

That they didn't post his email address :-(

*sniff*

Re:Ah

[Angry White Guy]

Yes, he should. A little to the right. No, too much, there! That's it! Now concentrate on the little red dot!

I can help!

[siskbc]

Now if someone could arrange to get a couple tons of manure delivered to his front lawn, that would be funny.

Well, last month I ate two pounds of cheese a day, and didn't crap at all. This month, I've been eating nothing but fiber, greasy food, and hot chicken wings. I still haven't dumped for another two weeks, and I think things are ready to go.

So if someone could just drive me to his house, I think I can manage the job for you.

Fixing my septic tank??????!!!!!

[somethingwicked]

I thought I was the only one getting these SPAM messages about fixing my septic tank!

It actually made me worry: Who would know I need help with my septic tank? What kind of dietary changes would I need to make?

Especially since I don't have a septic tank, to the best of my knowledge. (Soon to follow-"We will help you determine if you have a septic tank!!")

Now, my suitemate in college, I bet HE needs some septic tank SPAM...

Re:Home/Business

[bheerssen]

A ton of manure is a money making venture, but 1500 flaming bags of dog shit... now that's funny.

Re:Privacy protection?

[rgmoore]

As a right-thinking person, I can't support human rights for spammers.

Of course not. Spammers would only deserve human rights if they were human. Since their behavior clearly shows that they are inhuman monsters, talking about human rights is silly.

Re:Home/Business

[phallstrom]

How about a couple of tons of Hornel Spam instead? :)

Okay, what's the judge e-mail address?

[Pig Hogger]

What's the judge's e-mail address??? So we can subscribe him to lots of spam so he can start the trial with a properly unbiased mindset about spammers...

Re:Spammers safety

[Tackhead]

> The threatening calls are agreed, a bit much, but there are laws in place to prosecute this.

Assuming, of course, that you could find a jury who would convict.

For that matter, assuming you could find 12 people who could serve on such a jury. You could spend months dealing with an endless stream of jurors during jury selection, each of whom says something along the lines of: "No, Your Honor, I hold that spammers are subhuman, and therefore the law that applies isn't the one prohibiting humans from harassing humans, it's the one that calls for humans to uproot and burn noxious weeds on sight."

Re:Spammers safety

[Anonymous Coward]

A note from the BFI (Bottom Feeders of the Internet).

After reading your comment about this despicable spammer being termed a bottom feeder, we have been severely insulted by it. In the environment and in your fish tank, bottom feeders are a useful and beneficial organism. We clean up waste and droppings created by other organisms in the environment. We are the janitors of the environment. To compare a useless, vile spammer to us is degrading.

We want from you a formal and public apology. Thank you.

Sincerely,

BFI