Spammer Lance Atkinson Fined $16 Million 100
Nashville Guy writes "According to Australia's The Age, 'A New Zealand man living in Queensland and believed to be behind the world's largest spam operation, has been ordered to pay more than $16 million for running the illegal enterprise. Lance Atkinson, 26, originally from Christchurch, was living in Pelican Waters on the Sunshine Coast when the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had his assets frozen last year. ... The FTC found Atkinson and American Jody Smith were at the centre of the world's largest internet spam operation, dubbed 'AffKing,' having recruited spammers from around the world.'"
Quick question (Score:2, Insightful)
Where exactly does the 16 million go? Does the federal government get it simply because they have to jurisdiction to make said case? Shouldn't it go to the people who were actually subject to the damages caused by the spam?
Wait, who am I kidding...
Re:Completely the WRONG tactic (Score:3, Insightful)
Nothing short of public flogging/caning/torture or even execution will stop the asshats from being asshats.
For reasons I already stated, that won't work, either. Even if we made spamming a capital crime in the US this afternoon, it wouldn't mean shit; spammers would continue to spam because they know that they are someplace where the long arm of the US law can't touch them.
But even if somehow, every country in the world agreed today to make spamming a capital crime, that wouldn't mean shit either. It wouldn't take away from the insane profitability of sending spam. And the spammers would know that there are countries where capital crimes can easily be swept under the rug in exchange for payment to the right official(s).
Odd, that your signature mentions that people are
dumb, stupid, panicky animals
While you are yourself offering up an extremely panicky attempt to solve a problem.
No, it's not an economic problem (Score:3, Insightful)
spam is an economic problem
No, it's not. Not since all the ways to do it without committing felonies were stopped. Spamming today is organized crime.
Re:Quick question (Score:3, Insightful)
5 minutes of US DoD operational costs?
Re:Pay attention here... (Score:2, Insightful)
Economics
Spam is sent because it is profitable. No matter what you tell yourself, spam isn't sent to you to piss you off, flood your inbox, waste your time, or anything like that. Spam is sent to make money.
Hence spam is an economic problem, and if you want to truly deal with it, you need an economic solution. If spamming ceases to be profitable, then there will cease to be spam. The spammers just want to get paid, that's all.
Houses are burglared because it is profitable. No matter what you tell yourself, burglary isn't committed to piss you off, piss on your bed, scare your dog or anything like that. Burglaries are committed to make money.
Hence burglary is an economic problem, and if you want to truly deal with it, you need an economic solution. If burglary ceases to be profitable, then there will cease to be burglaries. The burglers just want to get paid, that's all.
Bonus points for saying that out loud at a decent pace without tripping over your words ;-)