Spam is still growing--and costing

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Completely agree, but how?

How exactly can spam be made unprofitable? There's no doubt in mind that if that was accomplished, spam would disappear, but there is no way to make it unprofitable without adversely affecting the "legitimate" users of email.

You can't use legislation to ban the practice of spamming, as the spammers will move beyond the courts jurisdiction to continue their activities. You can't make it illegal for companies to advertise via spam, or they to will incorporate beyond the cours jurisdiction, and in today's global economy, a business can do mighty fine operating out of a "spam-harboring" country and doing all their business over the internet (Isn't that how most spam operations operate anyhow). You can't make it illegal for people to buy products that are advertised as spam, because how would you enforce it? Any situation that exists that allows for you and I to have access to email, allows any spammer to have access as well.

Even the new antispam technologies will do nothing to stop it, they'll just have "certified" spam, or a plethora of flase positives, as I can guarantee that as much money that is spent developtin antispam measures, the spam operations are spending 10 times as much on ways to get around them. Take MS for example, they put in IronPort systems running BrightMail antispam to secure hotmail and MSN email access, but for a small fee (hehe) spammers can pay to have their spam mail excluded from the Brightmail/IronPort filters so that it gets delivered to mailboxes. Reminds me of pirates extorting money from travelers wanting to peddle their wares through their water routes.

But as you said, if you can make it unprofitable, it will all stop, but how can you do that, without adversely affecting the legitimate users? You can't.

Posted by: tamuhockey   Posted on: 06/14/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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