AOL files five lawsuits against spammers:
- AOL, the nation's largest Internet service provider, with 27 million subscribers, said the targets of its suits were responsible for sending its members an estimated 1 billion pieces of spam that resulted in more than 8 million complaints. The unsolicited messages contained such things as pornographic images, body-enhancement offers, and diet and financial schemes.
....The barrage of lawsuits reflects a heightened industry, legal and legislative effort to combat spam, which has grown so rapidly that it accounts for nearly 40 percent of e-mail traffic and is estimated to cost U.S. businesses $8 billion to $10 billion a year.
"Clearly, our anti-spam message is made more audible when the volume is turned up," said AOL spokesman Nicholas J. Graham. For the first time, Graham said, AOL is using member complaints about spammers as the basis for legal action.
The defendants in the lawsuits "are some of the leadership targets in the war against spam," he said. "They operate the command and control facilities in the ongoing fight to get spam into the inboxes of our members." [Washington Post]
Article comments
1 - Phillip Winn
As someone who is drowning in a deep and wide pool of spam, I support anything short of the death penalty to stop spammers. Give me another month of this insanity and I may even start to... no, no death penalty.
2 - Corinna Hasofferett
If you knew that only a death penalty will stop spam, will you still say no no?
I am supposed to be a sweet peace loving human being, but honestly, how many additional times can I find these burglers' questioning me, Do you know what women like best, and Grow your ... etc. It gets to the proportions of Chinese water torture and nothing nothing can delete them or stop downloading them.
at lease you won't find my e-mail address here anymore, only the website. and if I find one of those criminals, hold me tight or I'll claim not guilty.
and you know what, Somewhere (New York Times?) I found a photo and interview with one of those, from California she was and she says: "What's problem? Does it hurt your finger to click Delete?"
So, my suggested punishment is to have her and her beloved do just this clicking as a life sentence.
Behind a glass wall in a zoo.
Oh, and you know what? The statistics are that only one in one hundred thousand fall prey to their ads and buy.
Please all of you the 99,999 people, do write to your Congress people. It's high time for Revolution!
3 - Eric Olsen
C, I like it when you get worked up - spam is being taken very seriously now here - finally - and I think some substantive things will be done. I like your punishment best, though!