This article is about a few arrogant self-absorbed
techno-geeks that think they know what's best for all of us.
If you go to the Spamcop.net web site there's a link
that reads "HOAX ALERT:" if you follow the link you
will find an explanation about how the spammers are trying to
discredit Spamcop. I have written to Spamcop at info@spamcop.com to find
out if they are responsible for the spam, the web site, or any
of the statements made there, but so far I haven't received a
reply.
If this is information being sent by anyone
affiliated with Spamcop or osirusoft.org they should be
boycotted for their arrogant self -rightousness. If it's a hoax they should respond immediately with
court action and shut down the site to protect their
reputation. Since the site has been active for months, perhaps
years, I have to assume that Spamcop is responsible and
therefore we as consumers must take the threat seriously and
resort to independent action to stop
their reign of terror. But enough of that read the letter
below and decide for yourself. There are some suggestions
about actions that you can take following the letter.
Here's the letter:
Hello, my fellow net citizens. I am writing today to let you know that I have decided to declare war on all spammers and the backbones and tier 1 providers who support them!
Working together with my associates, Joe Jared of SPEWS and Julian Haight of SpamCop we will stop the world and we may even shut down the entire Internet if necessary.
It is time that we stopped them ! To do this I will need the help of every able minded hacker. We need to put together a campaign of server hacking, site damaging, port scanning, virus infusions and DOS attacks. Any of you who have the skills to help on this project, please contact one of us below:
Steve Linford - linford@spamhaus.org
Joe Jared - joejared@osirusoft.com
Julian Haight - deputies@mail.spamcop.net or jkdom@mail.julianhaight.com
We will be happy to give you a most interesting assignment.
Our first targets will be W#rldCom and H#tmail. W#rldcom, because it hosts more spammers that any other provider and Hotmail because it hosts most of the spammers real email addresses. We have to shut these 2 down now !
If the spammers happen to see this message (how can they miss it - I am sending out 20 million copies), they should take my advice and take their business to http://whitehat.com and pay a few dollars for a proper email campaign.
We may need some money to carry on our battle, so please, send all you can to me via PayPay using linford@spamhaus.org, paypal@mail.julianhaight.com or joejared@osirusoft.com Address as the recipient. If you do not have a credit card, then please send your cash or check to me at:
The Spamhaus Project
The Phoenix
Taggs Island
Offshore
TW12 2HA
GB
Make checks payable to "Steve Linford"
Or
SpamCop Donation
PO BOX 25732
Seattle, WA 98125
206-362-5759 voice
Make checks payable to "Julian Haight"
Or
Spews.org
Osirusoft
405-B W. Tularosa
Orange, CA 92866
US
714-997-0375 voice
714-532-4731 fax
Make checks payable to "Joe Jared"
I know that together we will be able to stop them all and put their backbones into bankruptcy.
Now, let's all have fun and put an end to the spambags!!!
Steve Linford - God of the Internet
End of letter.
What Can I Do?
Here
are some suggestions that can help stop the blackholing and
allow responsible use of email for legitimate businesses. I think
the responsible approach is to inform our ISPs that we don't
want our email black holed, and to ask
our legislators to enact some promotional email guidelines to lower
the noise level. Here are a couple of suggestions:
First,
step is to write a letter to your ISP asking them to please
stop using Spamcop and Osirusoft.org, or any other Realtime
Block Lists / Relay Spam Stop databases as a means of
filtering traffic to their network. Explain to them that in
some cases they are blocking traffic within their own network,
and that you are afraid you are missing important
correspondence because email might be being blocked. You can
write to the administrator of most networks at administrator@yourISP.com.
Other addresses you might try are abuse@yourISP.com or postmaster@yourISP.com
(substitute the name of your ISP for the term yourISP in the
previous address).
Second, boycott Spamcop and any other
anti-email filtering program being sold commercially. If you
have already purchased something, ask for a refund. There are
many ways to block unwanted email and most of them are FREE.
See http://www.spam-killers.com/guide.htm
for tips on stopping spam.
Third, write your state and
congressional representatives asking them to pass legislation
that allows the responsible use of email for commercial and
promotional means. Use the guidelines below for
suggestions.
Require any
promotional mail to be marked as such. Some states already require
this. A couple of states require that promotional email be marked
with ADV: in the subject line of unsolicited email. This makes it
easy to filter.
Require anyone
who is sending bulk email to provide a functional REMOVE mechanism
Require that
promotional email contain a legal mailing address and phone number
Require that the senders of
promotional email display a registered business name or ID number
Require promotional e-mailers to
obtain a bulk email permit similar to bulk-mail permits required
by the postal service
More
Information On Contacting Your Representative:
I understand and agree that
irresponsible and unsolicited email is bothersome, so is having your
mail black holed because of someone else's bad behavior or arbitrary
decision to do so.
The anti-email terrorists goal is to shut down
unsolicited e-mailers regardless of the content of their messages OR
THE CONSEQUENCES TO THE REST OF US.
This approach treats pleas for donations to charity the same as ads
for weight-loss gimmicks. This approach isn't likely to work and the
ones most likely to be hurt are the legitimate users.
As one door shuts
another opens. The internet is global, if you ban unsolicited email
here the scammers will just move their activities to servers in Canada, or Ecuador, or India. In the mean time
there is mass collateral damage to innocent email users whose mail is
dumped, and charitable causes who are prohibited from using this
tool in an appropriate manner.
It seems to me that enacting legislation to
control mass e-mailers is a lot more likely to happen. Let's not
forget a lot of these e-mailers are small businesses. Should we
restrict their use of promotional email any more than we restrict
the use of promotional email by the big companies, or ISPs? Should we put
small businesses here in America at a disadvantage by outlawing
unsolicited email while other countries permit their small
businesses to operate unfettered by such restrictions?
Owning and operating your own business is an American dream
that's getting harder and harder to realize. Big businesses always want to reserve the advantages for themselves. I guess that's
what big businesses are suppose to do, but black holing email,
especially the promotional email of small businesses, will do
nothing to stop unscrupulous operators and will take away one more
tool the little guy has to level the playing field with big
business.
Do you really want to take away one of the best tools small
businesses have to compete with the big guys? Do you really
want to shut the door on your own opportunity to realize your dreams of
having your own business someday? Do you really want to allow a few
disgruntled self-absorbed techo-geeks to control YOUR email? Do you really want to black hole the
American dream? I hope not, and if you think about it, trashing your
junk email is a small price to pay to preserve truth, justice, and
the American way.
For more information about the LAW governing UCE
(Unsolicited Commercial Email) read Senate
Bill 1618. Now more than ever Blackholing is illegal!
