2003

Sites 19

• USA Today: Idaho man takes junk e-mail senders to court Kevin Wilson is on a mission to rid his e-mail of unwanted electronic advertisements.
• BBC News: The most annoying spam of 2002 The most annoying spam purported to pass on to people free passwords for sex sites that usually levy a charge to look beyond the front page.
• The Age: Spam, spam, virus, porn and spam on spam The e-mail system is wilting under the attack of confidence tricksters and the mad inventors of viruses, warns Garry Barker.
• BBC News: Spam 'turning people off e-mail' People are starting to use e-mail less because of spam, a study finds, though some click on unsolicited messages.
• SearchSecurity.com: In the spammer's lair "As long as people buy the products, I'll keep sending mail," said Ron Scelson, who is dubbed the "Cajun Spammer."
• FOXNews.com: Consumer Groups Seek to Put a Can on Spam E-mail users seeking relief from spam - unsolicited ads, commercials and promotions that frequently fill up online mailboxes - should not count on help from Congress this year.
• CNET.com: Group to field spam-filter complaints A group of e-mail marketers on Tuesday set up an Internet forum for people to air grievances about spam filters--which can swallow legitimate messages along with the targeted commercial come-ons.
• CNET.com: Microsoft going after Hotmail spammers Microsoft is turning up the heat on spam, filing a lawsuit to go after people it suspects of having harvested e-mail addresses from its Hotmail servers to spam subscribers.
• CNET.com: Standards group takes aim at spam An influential Internet standards-setting body has begun a close scrutiny of the mounting problem of e-mail spam, in an effort that could have broad-ranging implications for future e-mail use and security.
• CNET.com: Antivirus firm takes on junk e-mail Antivirus company Trend Micro is jumping into the antispam fray, unveiling new software it hopes will help information technology managers protect their workers from an increasing barrage of unwanted messages.
• CNET.com: MSN blocks e-mail from rival ISPs Microsoft's MSN said its e-mail services had blocked some incoming messages from rival Internet service providers earlier this week, after their networks were mistakenly banned as sources of junk mail.
• CNET.com: Spam blocker charges for e-mail An Australian entrepreneur has created what may be the first antispam service that lets its users charge for the privilege of sending them e-mail.
• CNET.com: Spam suits seek poetic justice Antispam company Habeas is suing bulk e-mailers, accusing them of using its poetry without permission in an unusual use of trademark law to clamp down on spammers.
• CNET.com: AT&T spam filter loses valid e-mail AT&T WorldNet this week activated a risky spam-filtering technique that it shortly had to defuse after subscribers discovered they were losing legitimate e-mail.
• CNET.com: Porn spam--legal minefield for employers Lewd e-mail promoting pornography may soon pose more than just a technical challenge in the ongoing fight against spam--experts say it's set to become an acute legal problem, too.
• seattlepi.com: Microsoft-backed bill would dilute spam law, state says The state Attorney General's Office has convinced lawmakers that a proposal being pushed by Microsoft Corp. would weaken Washington's landmark law against unwanted and misleading e-mail.
• The Guardian: Spam, spam, spam and spam? Not for much longer The government is planning a clampdown on e-mail spam, demanding that companies obtain consumers' permission before sending them marketing material via the internet.
• NBC News: In the trenches of the 'spam wars' For those serving on the front lines of the bruising battle over junk e-mail spam is also is the root of the hardball legal tactics, hacking, harassment and death threats that are the hazards of their chosen vocation.
• NBC News: Has the spam dam really burst? Spam, some say, has gotten so bad that it's on the verge of killing e-mail. But if the Internet sky really is falling, why doesn't someone do something?