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Spammer Sues List Broker

Posted by michael on from the throw-another-spam-on-the-barbie dept.

BuckMulligan writes: "This article describes a lawsuit brought by a spam company against a list brokerage warehouse for selling e-mail addresses of persons who didn't opt-in. What this means is that those marketing lists created by data brokers aren't even accurate enough for sending spam."

4 of 295 comments (clear)

  1. I wonder... by WndrBr3d · · Score: 5, Funny

    This brokerage warehouse wouldn't happened to be called HOTMAIL.COM ... would it ?? ;-)

  2. Um.... by Wakko+Warner · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...do lists of people who opt-in for spam even exist? Are they big enough to fit on one 8.5x11" piece of paper?

    Who the hell would be stupid enough to opt-in for spam?

    - A.P.

    --
    "Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
    1. Re:Um.... by Binky+The+Oracle · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I suspect that most "Opt-In" mailing lists are derived from people who click through an online service agreement without reading the whole thing or the privacy policy.

      The real trouble comes when trying to determine which of the spam that says I can opt-out actually means it, and which of the spam is just harvesting/validating my address.

      Thankfully, most of the web sites I use only send me their own spam (which I generally don't mind, especially if I can tell them to stop) but occasionally I get one site that sold my name to a list and voila... instant opt-in on a technicality.

      That's why I normally make a new email alias when providing my address to a new site so I can at least attempt to see who sold my name in the first place.

      --

      Slashdot comments... splitting hairs since 1997.

  3. I Google therefore I am by jhines0042 · · Score: 5, Funny

    A Google search did not return any information about Inurv Inc.

    Personally, I think this is the best line in the whole article. Google, final proof that you do, or do not, exist.

    --
    42 - So long and thanks for all the fish.