Federal Bounty on Spammers

Pretty fast dupe there by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:55 · Score: 0

Well, I guess it did make it off the front page.

Re:Pretty fast dupe there by nuclear305 · 2004-09-17 06:05 · Score: 1

You know...I don't even think stealing all the +5 comments from the original post would work...as everyone likely still remembers who posted what in the old story.

I suppose this dupe was the result of Hurricane Ivan?

What we need is... by Trailer+Trash · 2004-09-17 05:55 · Score: 5, Funny

a bounty on /. dups...

--
Do you have ESP?

Re:What we need is... by FortKnox · 2004-09-17 05:58 · Score: 5, Funny

Plz see sig.

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Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
Re:What we need is... by transient · 2004-09-17 06:01 · Score: 3, Funny

Or maybe just a bounty on Slashdot editors.

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irb(main):001:0>
Re:What we need is... by Coneasfast · 2004-09-17 06:01 · Score: 1

What we need is... a bounty on /. dups...

the reward?... free lifetime subscription to /. ;)

--
Marge, get me your address book, 4 beers, and my conversation hat.
Re:What we need is... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:02 · Score: 0

Looking at the bright side, at least it's not Taco for once...
Re:What we need is... by BHS_Turf · 2004-09-17 06:25 · Score: 1

3 hours has got to be some kind of record! anyone track the min max amount of time between /. dupes?
Re:What we need is... by PerlDudeXL · 2004-09-17 06:41 · Score: 1

instead of posting so much dupes the editors should
rethink their rejections of submitted stories.
Re:What we need is... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:59 · Score: 0

No kidding. With all the rejects you would think they wouldn't have dupes. Being an editor you would think they read slashdot and would recognize a dupe....I guess not.
Re:What we need is... by tomhudson · 2004-09-17 08:14 · Score: 3, Interesting
They are guessing it would take between $100,000 to $250,000 to get people to rat out their friends, coworkers, etc.
Hey, just goes to show how fucked-up the government is, to t hink they'd have to offer a huge award. Someone should point out to them:
1. Spammers don't have friends
2. Most people would PAY a 900 number to rat out a spammer
Re:What we need is... by sketerpot · 2004-09-17 12:33 · Score: 1

THe slashdot editors don't do anything that has the force of law; the USPTO does. Which would you say is more important? How much more important?
Re:What we need is... by cloudmaster · 2004-09-18 03:19 · Score: 1

Plz type content in message body, not in .sig that's ignored by "don't show .sigs" setting.

eh? by zxnos · 2004-09-17 05:55 · Score: 0, Offtopic

This is still on the main page!?!

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always mosh clockwise

dupe by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:55 · Score: 0

http://slashdot.org/articles/04/09/16/2350211.shtm l?tid=111&tid=98&tid=1

seriously

nuff said

Re:Dupe by Short+Circuit · 2004-09-17 06:29 · Score: 1

I'm looking forward to the return of April Dupes Day.

Just remember, behind every dupe article is a submitter who didn't see it posted the first time.

--
tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
Re:Dupe by chimpo13 · 2004-09-17 06:38 · Score: 2, Interesting

Just remember, behind every dupe article is a submitter who didn't see it posted the first time.

Sometimes stories are marked "pending" for days, so it's not always the submitters fault.

--
riding round the world on an old motorcycle
Re:Dupe by Short+Circuit · 2004-09-20 11:42 · Score: 1

Then let subscribers view not-yet-rejected story submissions. It wouldn't eliminate dupes, but it'd improve the situation. (And give me more to read. :)

--
tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)

Difference is... by firebeaker · 2004-09-17 05:56 · Score: 1

... the rest of the population would probably be more than willing to chip in on those rewards! I'd give $20 to help catch spammers in a second!

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-beaker

Re:Difference is... by glpierce · 2004-09-17 06:02 · Score: 4, Funny

Perhaps you should send out an email to all potentially interested parties. "Send $20 and watch spam disappear from your computer!"

--
G
Re:Difference is... by WormholeFiend · 2004-09-17 06:10 · Score: 2, Funny

and I would buy rocks and a fake beard from vendors at any public stonings of a spammer.
Re:Difference is... by sxtxixtxcxh · 2004-09-17 07:58 · Score: 1

they already are... it's called "taxes"

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for a minute there, i lost myself...

Dupe by Sandman1971 · 2004-09-17 05:56 · Score: 1

Ah, the return of the dupe articles of articles that aren't even 24 hours old.... How I did not miss thee.

--
It's better to burn out than to fade away

DOOP by stratjakt · 2004-09-17 05:56 · Score: 1

Democratic Order Of Planets

Kind of like your UN.

What?

No like the Federation of Planets on Star Trek.

Oh!

--
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!

Ummm.... by justkarl · 2004-09-17 05:56 · Score: 0

Wasn't this on yesterday? Sometimes I just don't know....

Re:Ummm.... by carlos_benj · 2004-09-17 06:00 · Score: 1

Yes, it was here yesterday. I guess the FTC is really wanting to emphasize the point and drive it home. They plan to say the same thing every day, just like spammers, in hopes that something will click....

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--

As a matter of fact, I am a lawyer. But I play an actor on TV.
Re:Ummm.... by sharkey · 2004-09-17 07:14 · Score: 1

Does a bear shit in the woods?

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--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.

Yesterday news by morcego · 2004-09-17 05:56 · Score: 0, Redundant

Kind of old news, isn't it ?

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morcego

Potentially duplicating by dan+dan+the+dna+man · 2004-09-17 05:56 · Score: 4, Interesting

this

But the question I have to ask - are they really worth persuing to this degree? I'm not trolling (seriously) but I'd rather see my tax dollars paying for takedowns in more serious crime..

--
I don't read your sig, why do you read mine?

Re:Potentially duplicating by Trailer+Trash · 2004-09-17 06:06 · Score: 5, Interesting

Spam is a serious crime. A single spammer can cost our country millions of dollars of lost productivity each year. While no one company (outside of AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.) bears this entire cost, it adds up to big bucks in the aggregate.

It is quite appropriate that we put a bounty on spammers. Frankly, I still think the proper thing to do is to have a large statutory penalty, say $10,000/spam, that anyone can collect in small-claims court. We had a good law here in Tennessee, but the penalties weren't large enough ($10/spam, capped at $5000/day) and it really didn't specify that the damages weren't compensatory, leaving the judge with some discretion.

The only way to kill a spamming operation is the "death of a thousand cuts". It's obvious that law enforcement doesn't really care about this problem, otherwise Ralsky and Hardigree wouldn't be doing interviews and talking about their wealth. For that matter, I don't see a bounty system as working since we're still relying on law enforcement to catch and prosecute.

--
Do you have ESP?
Re:Potentially duplicating by bear_phillips · 2004-09-17 06:09 · Score: 1

Hum, scams designed to steal the life savings of old people (Nigeria scam), selling possibly tainted drugs (presciption drug scams). What would you consider a "serious crime." If a smart guys steals $20,000 from elderly womam by way of an internet scam (using spam to find the victims), how is that any less serious than say sneaking into her bank and robbing the money?

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http://www.windmeadow.com/
Re:Potentially duplicating by mrseigen · 2004-09-17 06:09 · Score: 1

Have you ever seen those TV shows about bounty hunters in the US? Of course it's appropriate. I'd love to see film of big Florida spamhaus heads getting driven into the cold concrete by an unflinching lowlife.
Re:Potentially duplicating by dan+dan+the+dna+man · 2004-09-17 06:14 · Score: 1

Interesting point. I understand that time and money is spent, but I suspect it's on sysadmins - who, the last time I looked, are responsible for this on their networks. Traffic costs are a different matter.

The thing is, I just don't get that much spam. Not on my webmail accounts, not at my work accounts. My mailman lists discard posts from non-members automatically. My helpdesk system with widely publicised email gets maybe 3-5 a day. My SPAM UNFILTERED shell account that I've used to post on Usenet since 1995 gets maybe 5 a day.

What on earth do people do to get such infuriating amounts of spam?

The problem with this erm issue of spammer is that there is no decent legal framework for international cooperation. Sure a lot of spammers are in the USA, but a lot aren't. And a lot are using techniquest that obscure their origins.

I'd rather personally just see a concerted effort to find them... Maybe charge them on a per message basis when they're caught. The amount per message, should be suitably crippling, but payable.. Over a few decades ;)

--
I don't read your sig, why do you read mine?
Re:Potentially duplicating by dan+dan+the+dna+man · 2004-09-17 06:18 · Score: 2, Insightful

Totally correct, I take your point entirely. If someone is defruaded by a spammer - treat it as fraud, surely it doesn't need new legislation? If you're going after people just because they bulk mail to sell shitty products, I'm less inclined to see the crime.

I find the fact people might actually use these to buy prescription medications more worrying than anything, $DEITY only knows what people are putting in their mouths because they're too afraid/stupid/addicted to go to the doctors to ask...

--
I don't read your sig, why do you read mine?
Re:Potentially duplicating by Trailer+Trash · 2004-09-17 06:18 · Score: 1

I have a public web site with my email address there. I have to in order to get email and sales. This nets me a couple thousand spams/day.

I also turn spammers in to their isps, so I generally get another 1000-3000/day that are bounces from joe-jobs.

Any other questions?

--
Do you have ESP?
Re:Potentially duplicating by SendBot · 2004-09-17 06:20 · Score: 1

I'm not trolling (seriously) but I'd rather see my tax dollars paying for takedowns in more serious crime.

You mean like DEA funding to counter the "hippie threat"?
Re:Potentially duplicating by Skynyrd · 2004-09-17 06:22 · Score: 2, Informative

Interesting point. I understand that time and money is spent, but I suspect it's on sysadmins - who, the last time I looked, are responsible for this on their networks. Traffic costs are a different matter.

The last Systems job I had needed a guy just to deal with spam. It would have cost our company a salary + bennefits *less* if there was little or no spam.

What on earth do people do to get such infuriating amounts of spam?

I don't know, but on an account I've had for 10 years, I get 100+ spam a day *after* my ISP filters it for me.
*Usenet
*Domain name registration
*BBSs
*One idiot sending mail to 20 people, with all addresses visible, then having some of those idiots forward it, with all the addresses intact

Just a few ideas.
Re:Potentially duplicating by jfengel · 2004-09-17 06:34 · Score: 1

In theory it pays for itself. Penatlies for spamming include substantial fines. I'm not sure how good federal prosecutors are at actually getting their hands on that money (since much of it is probably sitting in offshore accounts; ever notice that many spammers live in Florda, a boat ride away from those offshore islands) but if they can collect it it's significantly more than the bounty.
Re:Potentially duplicating by dougmc · 2004-09-17 06:43 · Score: 1

I'm currently getting about 3000 spams per day now. Fortunately, 99.9% are filtered properly (I love Spamassassin and the SURBL rocks!)
Lately my big pain in the ass has been these `cheapsoft' f*ckers joe-jobbing me -- gotten a few thousand bounces from that.
Why do I get so much? I still have the same addresses I had 10 years ago, and I regularly post to Usenet, refusing to obfuscate my address. And my address is on web sites too ...
Re:Potentially duplicating by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:53 · Score: 0

Normally I'm against the death-penalty, but for spammers it is completely justified. Murder someone? Spend the rest of your natural life in the pokey. Commit a rape? Ditto. Crapflood hundreds of inboxes with ads for junk that either doesn't exist or, if it does, doesn't work? Hang him up by the neck until he is dead.
Trust me, the level of spam would rapidly decrease if we had a global law stating spammers will be wearing the oaken overcoat for committing their crime.
Re:Potentially duplicating by rhsanborn · 2004-09-17 06:56 · Score: 1

I'm all for my tax dollars finding ways to thwart spam as opposed to simply prosecuting. If we catch every spammer in america, we still have an enormous barrage from other countries. Lets develop some standards that force people to identify themselves online and then we don't have to issue bounties, we can just have their ISP cut them off. Start blocking ISPs known for spam, and hopefully someone will start to get a clue.
Re:Potentially duplicating by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 07:43 · Score: 0

hippie threat?
Re:Potentially duplicating by zaphod123 · 2004-09-17 08:40 · Score: 1

So... do I bring their head in to collect the bounty or what?? :)

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:q!
Re:Potentially duplicating by RandomJoe · 2004-09-17 08:50 · Score: 2, Interesting

In most cases, people don't do ANYTHING to get all the spam. For a long time I thought the same thing as you, they must be doing something. I only got 4-5 per day. I figured I was being smart, not putting my address on web pages, not sending it to just anyone, all that.

Then one day about a year ago the inbox got flooded. And it still does. I get 75-100/day, most of them utterly meaningless garbage too. Not even selling anything, just paragraphs of random words. Worse, the past couple of weeks I'm getting Joe-jobbed. By something/one sending out viruses, of all things. Not only do I get to see "no such user" bounces, I get all the really helpful "you must be infected" antivirus replies too. That'd be interesting to see, a Windows virus on my Linux machine... (Most of the headers lead back to .ru, suprise.)

Only thing I can think of, as someone else mentioned, lots of my friends and relatives like sending those mass-mailings with everyone's email exposed. I'm guessing I got stuck in someone's address book, and their machine got infected with something that stole said address book...

So who knows, you may get lucky soon! ;-)

Joe
Re:Potentially duplicating by The+Conductor · 2004-09-17 08:57 · Score: 1

Oh, that's easy. If they don't pay the fine then they sit in jail until they do. The busted spammer will find the offshore money for them. (Gotta bust them in the US or get an extradition though.)
Re:Potentially duplicating by Walt+Dismal · 2004-09-17 09:02 · Score: 1

Lately my big pain in the ass has been these `cheapsoft' f*ckers joe-jobbing me -- gotten a few thousand bounces from that.
You too? It started happening to me bigtime this week too. All of them with kind of the same content pattern. There's got to be one guy doing it. And when I find him, he's not going on the no-fly list, he's going on the no-breathe list, if ya get my drift.
Re:Potentially duplicating by Cecil · 2004-09-17 09:13 · Score: 1

You left out the big one: Websites.

Put your email address on one website, either on your own domain or get linked by some other website, and you're boned.

Domain name registration is another big one for me, but it gets a very limited range of spam. No Viagra or porn spam, it's primarily cheap software, print toner, and "5 million email addresses on a CD!"

But yeah, web-trawling continues to be far and away the most effective way to gather email addresses to date, even despite the various poison scripts out there.

--
Random and weird software I've written.

Dupe? by fresh27 · 2004-09-17 05:56 · Score: 3, Funny

I think I saw this yesterday O_o Could this be considered spam?

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http://ipod.fresh27.net/

Re:Dupe? by nastro · 2004-09-17 06:11 · Score: 1

Nah, man. Even more sad. You saw it this morning. D'Oh!

my friends? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:56 · Score: 0

If I knew someone sending me spam mail I would turn them in for now reward. Or kick their ass.

Dead or Alive by Camel+Pilot · 2004-09-17 05:56 · Score: 1

I think we need the return of the old western "Wanted Dead or Alive" posters.

Re:Dead or Alive by ackthpt · 2004-09-17 06:11 · Score: 2, Funny

I think we need the return of the old western "Wanted Dead or Alive" posters.
From many comics: Wanted Dead or Alive, preferably Dead
For example, the FBI pays $50,000 for tips leading to the arrests of most of its top 10 fugitives.""
Yow! $50,000! Alright, I know just how to get that money, right after the 21st!
Me: "Lessee.. 1-800-EFF-BEE-I.." diit doot doot deet diit doot doot...
FBI: "Hello, Federal Bureau of Investigation"
Me: "I'd like to report a dangerous criminal!"
FBI: "Great! Please give us the details!"
Me: "His name is George Lucas and he lives at Skywalker Ranch along Lucas Valley Road in Marin County, California!"
FBI: "Uh.."
Me: "And he's responsible for ruining Star Wars!"
FBI: "You mean the reissue?"
Me: "Yes!!!"
FBI: "Sorry, Sir, but we've already received 301,723 reports on his activities and whereabouts."
Me: "Dang!"
FBI: "Don't worry, he'll be busting rocks in San Quentin very soon, there's not a jury in the country that wouldn't convict him."

--

A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Re:Dead or Alive by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:48 · Score: 0

I think we need the return of the old western "Wanted Dead or Alive" posters.

The United States has already been doing this...in iraq.
Re:Dead or Alive by twhite0001 · 2004-09-17 06:53 · Score: 1

I'de turn them in for a lot less!!!!
Re:Dead or Alive by azav · 2004-09-17 09:34 · Score: 1

Why alive?

I have many "Alexisms." I offer you this one:

"If you go above and beyond the call to be a blight upon society then you deserve to be removed from it."

You may quote me. Alex Zavatone 2003.

--
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
Re:Dead or Alive by barfomar · 2004-09-17 11:49 · Score: 1

You just have to turn in their left ear and mouse finger for the reward.

Sounds like... by Samurai+Cat! · 2004-09-17 05:57 · Score: 1

...what Lessig's been advocating for some time. Good!

--

"People" using "unnecessary" quotes should be "shot".

Ridiculously overblown by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:57 · Score: 0

Ridiculously overblown

Avast! Hang'em ferm ya highest yardarm! by Dark+Coder · 2004-09-17 05:57 · Score: 1

Spammer would appear to be categorized as worst community offender than our local serial rapist.

Is this a start of a new legal trend where economic damage has precedence over human life?

Re:Avast! Hang'em ferm ya highest yardarm! by stratjakt · 2004-09-17 05:58 · Score: 1

Start?

It's been this way for years.

--
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Re:Avast! Hang'em ferm ya highest yardarm! by pjt33 · 2004-09-17 06:11 · Score: 1

I think you need to reset your computer's clock, or maybe use NTP. The 19th of September is Sunday, not today.
Re:Avast! Hang'em ferm ya highest yardarm! by AndroidCat · 2004-09-17 06:54 · Score: 1

According to the RI-MP-AA, every day is pirate day!

--
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
Re:Avast! Hang'em ferm ya highest yardarm! by Anders+Andersson · 2004-09-17 07:44 · Score: 2, Interesting

Is this a start of a new legal trend where economic damage has precedence over human life?

Look at the scale of the thing. A rapist targets a single victim, whereas a spammer targets a million victims. If you could take one million junk mail messages and divert them to a single recipient who is forced to either read or delete them all manually in no longer than a minute, it would more or less kill that person, cartoon-style (we are talking 10,000 key presses per second here).

Another calculation: If it takes one second for the recipient to detect and delete each junk mail message (no automatic filtering involved), and some 20 billion junk mail messages are distributed on the Internet every day, that means spammers consume 20 billion seconds of unpaid human labour, or about ten human lifetimes, per day. That makes a total of 3,000 human lives destroyed per year. How many people are killed by terrorism each year?

Sometimes, translating human life into economic terms actually makes it look more valuable, not less.
Re:Avast! Hang'em ferm ya highest yardarm! by The+Conductor · 2004-09-17 09:04 · Score: 1

It may just be a matter of how they allocate the resources, rather than how much. Violent crime presumably spends more of its money on government-employed investigators, or possibly a larger number of informants per prosecution. A spamming case, however, can probably be cracked by a single insider informant; it's all a paper trail from there.
So what we really have is the gov't taking an "outsourcing" attitude to prosecuting spam.
Re:Avast! Hang'em ferm ya highest yardarm! by Prof.Phreak · 2004-09-17 11:02 · Score: 1

Avast! Hang'em ferm ya highest yardarm!
Beh, You're 2 days early! Talk Like A Pirate Day

--
"If anything can go wrong, it will." - Murphy

bounties, eh? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:57 · Score: 1, Funny

Spammers Wanted: Dead or Alive. Preferably dead....

Federal Bounty on Double Posts by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:57 · Score: 0

I can see a fee coming already !

Karma Whoring 101 by liquidsin · 2004-09-17 05:57 · Score: 2, Funny

1. Go here
2. Find high moderated comments, and repost them.
3. Karmic Profit!!!

--
do not read this line twice.

Re:Karma Whoring 101 by christopherfinke · 2004-09-17 06:03 · Score: 1

Ok.
What would it take to get someone to turn in one of those spammers who send millions of unwanted e-mails? At least $100,000, the Federal Trade Commission figures.
Really? If I knew someone who was spamming, I'd turn them in for free. Any cash would just be a bonus.
Re:Karma Whoring 101 by Monkeyman334 · 2004-09-17 06:06 · Score: 4, Insightful

Why repost comments and be a karma whore? You could instead repost stories and become an editor.
Re:Karma Whoring 101 by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:47 · Score: 0

Spam Boys, Spam Boys,
What you gonna do?
What you gonna do,
when we ping for you?
Re:Karma Whoring 101 by syrinje · 2004-09-17 06:51 · Score: 1

This is unfortunately a growing trend - within the last week I count at least three dupe stories - could it be that the volume of submissions has swamped the Editorial mechanisms? Is it time for a fresh think on how to avoid dupes?
I'm betting there are feasible ways in which mechanical dupe checking can be performed. It should be fairly simple to write a few scripts (yeah yeah - take your choice - perl, python, - whats that you say ? awk? sure!) all new submissions to build an article wise list of keywords. The next step is ingenious and completely On-Topic in this otherwise OT post - use the same mechanisms as spam checking to match - all new submissions bayesian matched against worth of submissions for dupe score!!
Viola -

--
See that long UID - that's what you get for lurking too long
Re:Karma Whoring 101 by liquidsin · 2004-09-19 12:09 · Score: 1

Even if it never gets implemented, it'd be fun a fun hack to try. Run it past every story that hits the home page and see if it picks up the dupes that the eds miss.

--
do not read this line twice.

My old boss by SnapperHead · 2004-09-17 05:57 · Score: 2, Interesting

Would be the perfect person to rat out, not only does there datacenter disregard spammers who host there, he also spams quite a bit himself.

Why would I do it ?

1) They screawed me out of a $2000 check.
2) They screawed me on my taxes.
3) They still have some equipment of mine.
4) Even for $10,000 it would be worth it to me.

--
until (succeed) try { again(); }

Re:My old boss by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:00 · Score: 0

go for it. you'll be doing yourself and all of us a favor.
Re:My old boss by ackthpt · 2004-09-17 06:00 · Score: 1

4) Even for $10,000 it would be worth it to me.
Seems like even for revenge it would be worth it to you. Go get 'em, Tiger!
BTW, have you turned them into Spamhaus?

--

A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Re:My old boss by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:02 · Score: 0

Maybe they fired you because you can't fucking spell, genius.
Re:My old boss by gcaseye6677 · 2004-09-17 06:03 · Score: 1

Sounds like the perfect opportunity for some blackmail. But I recommend asking for "restitution" instead. Their greatest fear would be having the IRS find out they screwed with employee withholdings, which is a felony.
Re:My old boss by dacarr · 2004-09-17 06:35 · Score: 1

If they screwed you out of a $2000 check, talk to your labor board.
If he screwed you on your taxes, call the IRS and your state tax board as applicable.
Either way, note the spelling of 'screwed'. No A.

--
This sig no verb.
Re:My old boss by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 08:05 · Score: 0

While you're at it, turn them in for all of their pirate copies of Office.

Kill It by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:57 · Score: 0

Before it Dupes again!

Next duplication of this article scheduled for: 11:08 EDT 18-09-04

Dupe, Dupe, Dupe.... by musicon · 2004-09-17 05:57 · Score: 1

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/09/16/235021 1&tid=111&tid=98&tid=1 Someone needs to make a "dupe" ditty that we can all sing along....

Re:Dupe, Dupe, Dupe.... by DJBurgie · 2004-09-17 06:03 · Score: 0

Who put the dupe in the dupe, du-dupe, du-dupe, who put the spam in the spam-er-am-er-ding dang...

(to the Barry Mann tune of "Who Put the Bomp")
Re:Dupe, Dupe, Dupe.... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:03 · Score: 0

The ditty is as near as you local "Oldies" station.

Dupe, dupe, dupe
Dupe of Earl
Dupe, dupe
Dupe of Earl
Dupe, dupe
Dupe of Earl
Dupe, dupe

As I walk through this world
Nothing can stop
The Dupe of Earl ...
Re:Dupe, Dupe, Dupe.... by the+pickle · 2004-09-17 06:04 · Score: 2, Funny

Here.

Dupe, Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of URL, Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of URL
Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of URL, Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of URL
Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of URL, Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of URL
Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of URL, Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of URL

And right about here is where I got too lazy to continue. Go make up your own lyrics for the rest. Not that anyone remembers the original beyond the bass line anyway. ;)

(Shameless ripoff of Duke of Earl)

--
In Korea, long hair is for old people!
Re:Dupe, Dupe, Dupe.... by pjt33 · 2004-09-17 06:14 · Score: 1

"Dupe, dupe, dupe, dupe, dupe! Lovely dupe! Wonderful dupe! Dupe, duuuuppppeee, dupe, duuuuppppeee, dupe!"
And (very tenuously) arguably even on topic!
Re:Dupe, Dupe, Dupe.... by Yo+Grark · 2004-09-17 06:29 · Score: 4, Funny

You Forgot:

As I wade through dup'd Articles
Will noone stop the Duped Url's
And-a you, where did you go editors?
And no one can stop you now

Yes-a, I, oh a we.....we're gonna get you, oh Taco
Not gonna subscribe no more
'Cause you ignore, the duped Url's
So hey yea yea yeah

And when we warn you,
You'll ignore our emails, Emails about Duped URL's
So we're left to pay to read our duped Slashdot
While the profits you just don't share

Yes-a, we, oh we're gonna get you, oh Taco
Nothing will make us renew now
'Cause we're still seeing Duped Url's
So hey yeah yeah yeah

Well, we, oh we're gonna get you, oh Taco
Try searching before you post it now
'Avoid the duped URL's
So hey yeah yeah yeah

Yo Grark

--
Canadian Bred with American Buttering

Stop the foreign spammers with money? nah. by garcia · 2004-09-17 05:58 · Score: 1

Don't we know where most of the spammers are spamming from anyway? Why not just pay the ISPs to stop allowing the fuckers from having bandwith?

Better yet why don't we just do it for free and block their IP blocks from all routers across the net?

Hey, an even better idea is a "Great Firewall of America" where we can keep the .kr, .br, etc from sending their spam into our country!

Bounty by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:58 · Score: 0

If anyone would like to hire a spam-bounty hunter, I'm available on Tuesdays (right after my meetings with Morie)

New low???? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:58 · Score: 0

Slashdot hits a new low I believe.

wth this story was posted just few hours ago yesterday night..hmmm

http://slashdot.org/articles/04/09/16/2350211.sh tm l?tid=111&tid=98&tid=1

Dupe... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:58 · Score: 0

Only 12 hours after the last article on the same issue. Maybe the users should become moderators...

I will be rich.... by jmcmunn · 2004-09-17 05:58 · Score: 2, Funny

Next time 34564gnshe@yahoo.com or DSggh5r4555@hotmail.com sends me some spa, I am reporting their ass to the feds. Now I just need to figure out what to do with all of that money...

Re:I will be rich.... by jmcmunn · 2004-09-17 06:00 · Score: 1

Sorry, I never have recieved a "spa" in my inbox. Maybe "spam" is what I meant to type.

Oh, and I am sorry if those are anyone's email addresses, they truly were meant to be random.

Sounds like a Cheech & Chong bit to me... by The+I+Shing · 2004-09-17 05:58 · Score: 1

"Well, I wanna turn in Billy, man!"
"Hey, whatta you talkin' 'bout, man?!"
"Man, you sold me those email addresses on that CD, they all bounced back, man! Opt-in, my ass!"

And so on.

--
You are in error. No-one is screaming. Thank you for your cooperation.

Re:Sounds like a Cheech & Chong bit to me... by BandwidthHog · 2004-09-17 06:35 · Score: 1

Heh. You know how people here at The Dot like to misread subject lines and report back to the masses on how humorously they misread things?

I totally misread 'Chong bit' in a way that really reminds one that it's a Friday afternoon.

--

Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?

Here's a better idea: by theraccoon · 2004-09-17 05:58 · Score: 0, Redundant

I propose a bounty on slashdot admins who post the same story twice.

Just a thought...

Strange priorities. by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:58 · Score: 0

Until the cops can lock up more of the rapists, murders, drunk drivers, and enron/worldcom/tyco types, I don't really want my tax money going for this kind of crap.

$100k-$250k?! by fatcatman · 2004-09-17 05:59 · Score: 5, Funny

They are guessing it would take between $100,000 to $250,000 to get people to rat out their friends, coworkers, etc...

Holy shit, spammers have loyal friends. I'd rat 'em out for a happy meal.

Re:$100k-$250k?! by nuclear305 · 2004-09-17 06:23 · Score: 1

"Holy shit, spammers have loyal friends. I'd rat 'em out for a happy meal."

They should have plenty of loyal friends. I mean, by now they surely have some of the largest p3n1s specimens on Earth along with millions of cash found in African business dealings as well as being the healthiest people on earth with all the vitamins they take.
Re:$100k-$250k?! by stratjakt · 2004-09-17 06:36 · Score: 3, Insightful

They're looking to turn partners against each other. That's the only way to get a real conviction. A witness would have to see, or participate in the spamming for his testimony to be useful.

Ie; you couldn't go to court and testify "stratjakt is a spammer because he told me all about it at the bar!" That would be heresay. You could say "stratjakt and I ran a spamming operation, I rolled on him to avoid prosecution. I was just following orders, honest!"

I'm not a lawyer, of course.

Of course, you have to make the reward for rolling over on your partners greater than the rewards of staying loyal.

There's no honor among thieves. Computer criminals are the pussiest of all criminals. The warez rings crumble like a house of cards once they pick up a couple of easily intimidated 13 year old kids. Show em a list of charges, show em a picture of goatse, let them connect the dots, and get out your notebook to start jotting down names and numbers.

--
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!

Dupe by Pyrosz · 2004-09-17 05:59 · Score: 0, Redundant

FTC Recommends Bounty on Spammers
Spam | Posted by CowboyNeal on Thursday September 16, @10:22PM

--

An optimist believes we live in the best world possible; a pessimist fears this is true.

Dupe! by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 05:59 · Score: 0

This article has been duped.

After thinking about it... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:00 · Score: 0

I have, in the past, made a handful of comments w.r.t. the spam problem. After thinking about it for a bit, I've come to realize that the solution is not so much in applying new technology but applying new people.

Think about it: Right now, almost everything that lands in the spammer's inbox is signal because right now, no one in their right mind responds to offers for the hottest young teens on the net and herbal viagra. Thus, it's trivial for them to send out a hundred million e-mails and it's also easy to sort through the maybe one thousand people dumb enough to respond: It's almost ALL signal.

But, suppose that of those hundred million people, ten million clicked the link and a million responded. The S/N ratio goes from 10:1 to 1:1000 or 1:10000. It's no longer going to be economical for the spammer to sort through so much static. It should be possible to respond to, perhaps, 1/10 or 1/20 of the spam you get. It won't take much... Just something like "I'm very intrigued by your offer. Please tell me more." You can't use a computer script to generate responses, because they can easily be filtered out just like you filter 99% of spam. You'll maybe spend 30 minutes a day to respond to 60 spams.

Before long, the bastards will spend so goddamn much time sorting through the static that they won't be able to send more! The only problem is, what do we do to reedcuate the millions of idiots (ie the ones who create the problem in the FIRST PLACE!!!) who are (mostly) trained to pound the delete key?
What will be the state of science when the next [venus] transit season arrives God only knows." - William Harkness
--
10273686

Fixing the dupe problem by Kissing+Crimson · 2004-09-17 06:00 · Score: 0, Offtopic

Here's a dumb but potentially useful idea. Mod everything down every reply on a dupe. Watch the effects. It might help the problem, but at least it would be interesting to watch the results.

What's that smell? I think it's my karma burning.

--
What's that smell? Ah, that's my karma burning...

Re:Fixing the dupe problem by stratjakt · 2004-09-17 06:02 · Score: 1

I have a better solution.

Editors with enough interest in the job to actually read or at least monitor their own web site.

--
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
Re:Fixing the dupe problem by Darthmalt · 2004-09-17 06:22 · Score: 1

WOW the first "screw karma" / "I know i'm gonna get modded down for this" etc. Post that ACTUALLY GOT MODDED DOWN

Re:Stop the foreign spammers with money? nah. by hackstraw · 2004-09-17 06:00 · Score: 1

Better yet lets beat daddypants with a stick with every spam we get in our inbox and twice for every dup.

That will stop spam!

Dup!! by Sharp+Rulez · 2004-09-17 06:00 · Score: 0

Damn! /. is spamming me with dup news. Should i win 250K ?

You know what else is happening? by fiannaFailMan · 2004-09-17 06:00 · Score: 0, Offtopic

MS is To Hurt Linux Via USB Enhancements according to Cringely. I bet you didn't know that!

--
Drill baby drill - on Mars

Terrorists have chosen the better business model by YetAnotherName · 2004-09-17 06:01 · Score: 1

No, I'm not trolling or baiting, but think about it: would you rather have a $50k bounty on your head for work whose profit is of religious significance or a $200k bounty on your head for work whose profit is one or two orders of magnitude lower?

You could use the money,,, by Samurai+Cat! · 2004-09-17 06:01 · Score: 2, Funny

...to buy a dictionary and learn how to spell 'screwed' properly. :)

--

"People" using "unnecessary" quotes should be "shot".

Re:You could use the money,,, by Anonymous+Writer · 2004-09-17 07:04 · Score: 1

I think they screwed him out of a spell checker as well

Tomorrow on Slashdot: by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:02 · Score: 0

Cringely: MS To Hurt Linux Via USB Enhancements

George Lucas Speaks on Trilogy Changes

Politics: The Living Room Candidate

Open Source Security: Still A Myth

Uncompressed TV Video Over USB 2.0 from ATI

Ghost In The Shell 2: Innocence in Theaters

IT: McAfee lists Adware in Top 10 Viruses

Instant Messaging Goes Graphical

Linux: Microsoft's Chief Linux Strategist Interviewed

Linux: The Stealth Desktop Part III

What will the sentence be? by Golobarti · 2004-09-17 06:02 · Score: 1

So they offer $100000 to catch a spammer. How much jail time will he get? If we are talking about a year in the slammer then I'll spam someone then call it on myself - 3 meals a day, TV all day long, well stocked library, out in 9 months for good behaviour and a nice $100000 paycheque once I get out. Beats looking for a Oracle dev job...

--
Do not look into the laser with remaining eye.

Re:What will the sentence be? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:31 · Score: 0

You're forgetting the daily ass-rapings in the shower.
On a serious note, I bet they expect to pay for the bounty and the costs of prosecution from the penalties they will impose on the spammers. So, you might get your friend to give you most (or all) of the $100K, which would make a nice dent in the $250K penalty they imposed on you at conviction.
And your corn-hole would still hurt.

Re:Yessir folks - it's DupeDay at Slashdot by flashbang · 2004-09-17 06:04 · Score: 1

That's so funny.
That's so funny.
That's so funny...

Let me just say,

That's so funny.

--
My sig left me for a younger user id.

Karma Whoring 101 by digThisXL · 2004-09-17 06:04 · Score: 0, Offtopic

1. Go here
2. Find high moderated comments, and repost them.
3. Karmic Profit!!!

//oops, wrong thread.....

Bounty on spammers ... Done! by telstar · 2004-09-17 06:04 · Score: 1

Okay, now how about free subscriptions for people that filter out dupes?

I've said it before, I'll spam it again... by TiggertheMad · 2004-09-17 06:05 · Score: 1

...Dupe stories are just as good to post bitchy comments as new ones...

Anyway, I wonder if the bounty is higher for spammers, because, a successful spammer will have more money that they can be fined for, to offset bounty reward payouts. I mean, how many terrorists have a million bucks stashed in the bank, and a expensive home in California? You can't fine em money and expect to get anything if they don't have money.

(I have an uncle who is a lawyer, and he joking once told me the first rule of being a lawyer is never sue poor people.)

--

HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!

Ooh, ooh...Let me try! by switcha · 2004-09-17 06:05 · Score: 4, Funny

Dear Slashdotters,

Do you need a new mortgage?
Do you want to earn your d1pl0ma?
Do you want a Nigerian penis?
Send $1 to:

Happy Dude
355 S 520 W, Ste. 100
Lindon, UT 84042
Sincerely,
Darl McBride

via Gzip Christ

--
You know what? ... A little club soda *did* get that out!

Re:Ooh, ooh...Let me try! by roman_mir · 2004-09-17 07:59 · Score: 1

Do you want a Nigerian penis? - you forgot the second part of that sentence: up your ass?

--
You can't handle the truth.
Re:Ooh, ooh...Let me try! by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 08:42 · Score: 0

Not only are we getting dupe articles, now we're getting dupe posts WTF

Great idea! (Score:5, Funny)
by Gzip Christ (683175) on Thursday September 16, @11:32PM (#10273935)
(ftp://ftp.sco.com/pu...SSA-2003-020. 0/SRPMS)
Dear Slashdotters,

Do you need a new mortgage? Do you want to earn your d1pl0ma? Do you want a Nigerian penis? Send $1 to:

Happy Dude
355 S 520 W, Ste. 100
Lindon, UT 84042

Sincerely,
Darl McBride
Re:Ooh, ooh...Let me try! by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 10:41 · Score: 0

Well, since I'm not gay like you are, the thought never occurred to me. Do you spend a lot of time thinking about having a Nigerian penis up your ass?
Re:Ooh, ooh...Let me try! by roman_mir · 2004-09-17 10:53 · Score: 1

Denial is usually the first stage, then comes bargaining, anger, despair and acceptance. When you are at the last stage your ass may end up looking like the goatse guy's, Mr. Anonymous Gay Coward.

--
You can't handle the truth.
Re:Ooh, ooh...Let me try! by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 11:20 · Score: 0

Wow, you sure seem to know an awful lot about being gay and taking it up the ass. Any other nuggets of wisdom you'd like to share about yourself Mr Roman Gay Mir?
Re:Ooh, ooh...Let me try! by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 11:42 · Score: 0

That was the joke, dummy. Notice the via Gzip Christ?
Hence the "Let me try", as in duping as well.

What does this imply? by samberdoo · 2004-09-17 06:05 · Score: 0

Spamming pays better than crime?

Re:What does this imply? by stratjakt · 2004-09-17 06:10 · Score: 3, Interesting

No, it implies (to me) that spammers are harder to track down than regular criminals without community help.

I mean you have no crime scene to investigate, no fingerprints or DNA or other physical evidence to link the suspect to the crime.

About the only real way to bag a spammer as I can see is with eye witness testimony. Any "evidence" you collect online is easily thrown out by an attorney with the "anyone could have forged that" or "my clients box was hacked because of an insecure OS".

--
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!

Matter of scale by jeffy210 · 2004-09-17 06:06 · Score: 1

This may sound bad, but unless the FBI is after a mass murderer; Spam affects more people. So it is in the best interest to offer more money.

--
------
"And may your days be long upon the earth."

More for finding spammers than killers... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:06 · Score: 0

That's capitalism to the extreme in action. One spammer might be responsible for hundreds of thousands of lost man hours, and thus many millions, but one serial killer's "only" going to do a fraction of that damage to your economy.

It's all about making as much money as possible as fast as possible, and if that means stamping on the rights of the individual, polluting the environment, selling a defective or dangerous product, laying off half your work force, or treating anyone who dares disrupt your drive for dollars (including spammers) worse than someone who pulls a knife on someone.

Perversely, those at the top of this tree never suffer. The Kenneth Lay's of this world ("Kenny Boy", as he's called by his good friend Dubya) get off relatively scott free whilst the people who's lives they've destroyed (Enron workers, the little guys with their life savings invested in Enron stock) suffer the real consequences.

Rat out non-BCC users? by BestNicksRTaken · 2004-09-17 06:06 · Score: 5, Funny

Does this mean I can rat out my coworkers who insist on forwarding jokes with their whole addressbook in the TO: field AND GET PAID FOR IT?!

--
#include <sig.h>

Re:Rat out non-BCC users? by Nurgled · 2004-09-17 12:26 · Score: 1

The worst part, of course, is that then your address is in the email history of potentially hundreds of people you don't know and can't trust. One or more of these people will most likely do something stupid and end up being a source for To: or From: addresses in lying spam/worm headers and then next thing you know your mailbox is full of either spam, worms or error messages. Or all three.

This is why I don't tell anyone my email address without very careful screening. :)

totally unacceptable by Sharp+Rulez · 2004-09-17 06:08 · Score: 0

Idea: /* troll */ report spammers, Win 100 000$. Give a donation to FBI (50K$). Then FBI will have 100 000$ to track fugitives. Its totally unacceptable that FBI has less money to track terrorist than the bounty to get a spammer!

Re:Stop the foreign spammers with money? nah. by maduro55 · 2004-09-17 06:10 · Score: 0

"The Great Firewall of America" it has a nce ring to it; I wonder if you could see it from space?

a glitch in the matrix? by nilbog · 2004-09-17 06:11 · Score: 1

de ja vu!

--
or else!

Re:Stop the foreign spammers with money? nah. by Thud457 · 2004-09-17 06:11 · Score: 1

Maybe we just need a few more hurricanes to finally put the spam problem to rest!

--

the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?! by gosand · 2004-09-17 06:11 · Score: 4, Funny

Or maybe just a bounty on Slashdot editors.

Slashdot has editors?

--

My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

one tiny problem by fred+fleenblat · 2004-09-17 06:12 · Score: 2, Funny

Is there any evidence that spammers have co-workers or friends (who are not themselves also spammers)?

What we need... by Tethys_was_taken · 2004-09-17 06:12 · Score: 0, Redundant

...is a bounty on dupes too :)

--
StrayByte.Net

Re:Stop the foreign spammers with money? nah. by realdpk · 2004-09-17 06:12 · Score: 1

Me to FTC: Hey, I'm thinking about hosting some spammers.

FTC to Me: Here, have some money, maybe you'll change your mind.

Sounds like the broken farm subsidy system. ;)

Just what we need by Rev+Wally · 2004-09-17 06:12 · Score: 1

A bunch of geeks dressed up as Bobba Fett looking for spamers.

--
LOAD "SIG",8,1

Kinda cold, but... by JediDan · 2004-09-17 06:13 · Score: 1

When it comes down to the logistical standpoint of fighting crime (ala $) Top-Ten fugitives aren't very dangerous. Sure they might kill a handful of people but they can't compare to the relative mastermind it takes to generate a boatload of spam and get it past a few spam filters.

Now I don't mean to sound cold. I know that this certainly wouldn't make any difference if someone close to me were directly effected by the capture of a criminal, but the honest comparison is dozens of lives to thousands and thousands of people having to fight spam.

If I didn't know better, I'd think I've lost my soul for that comparison... :(

"Your sister was brutally murdered, but the guy who could have caught him had the option of Billy the Bludgeoner and that punk kid sending millions of annoying emails. He went to bank by helping capture the kid."

--
- Dan

Re:Kinda cold, but... by WhiplashII · 2004-09-17 07:01 · Score: 2, Funny

This is correct. Another way of looking at this is that spammers take let's say 1 minute per day of time to deal with. They take it from 100,000,000 people. In one year, they have taken 36e9 minutes from others. A human lifetime is approximately 40,000,000 minutes long. So they have wasted 1000 lifetimes per year. They ARE mass murderers! (Or worse, the imprison people their entire lives!)

--
while (sig==sig) sig=!sig;
Re:Kinda cold, but... by Anders+Andersson · 2004-09-17 08:33 · Score: 1

Or worse, the imprison people their entire lives!

Worse or not, it's a very good analogy, except that it's a little difficult to visualize someone being enslaved for life once every year... If we translate it into regular work hours, the spammers have effectively forced something like a million people to keep reading and/or deleting all the junk mail for no pay. Some slave labour camp, that!

And, your ISP staff claims they can't do much about it; they just run the engines and communication lines that keep sending new users to the spam mines, and are thus simply following orders...

Boba fett by lothar97 · 2004-09-17 06:14 · Score: 1

There's something about the title to this article that brings to mind Boba Fett going after the bounty. It's just nice to imagine him swooping in undetected, catching a spammer off-guard, and getting his man. I wouldn't mind a little carbonite freezing action either as the true evil of the universe are returned to the authorities, but then again I've let my fantasies get the better of me.

--

Comment removed by account_deleted · 2004-09-17 06:14 · Score: 1

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Great job by picardsb · 2004-09-17 06:14 · Score: 1

This is a real job! Hundreds of jobs just got created. I can now hunt down those senders of thousands of junk emails to my account.

Where to report? I can already see my money! Yeah! Great... I'm giving up all my other jobs, to pursue this - it is my future career. I'm secure for my lifetime - long live spam, and the spammers (so that I can keep getting bounty).

1. dupe story, 2. copy high-ranked posts, 3. KARMA by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:15 · Score: 0

I'm starting to believe that Taco intentionally lets all these dupes through to kowtow to the all-powerful karma who^H^H^H mining lobby!

I've got to say.. by SimianOverlord · 2004-09-17 06:16 · Score: 0

This is good news. America is going to have to crack down hard on Spammers. Spam is essentailly an American problem, exported to the rest of the world. You think I'm lying? Hell, check out the spamhaus stats. It's clear that America is going to have to enact the heaviest penalties to help the rest of the world. The CAN-SPAM act is ludicrous, hopefully Congress will wise up. Speaking as a Brit, I'm outraged that such a prominent Net-Nation is taking such a bláse attitude towards their responsibilities to the rest of us. America is ruining my Net experience. It's a harsh truth, but it's a truth nonetheless.

--
Meine Schwester ist sehr, sehr reizvoll - Nietzsche

/. reminders by bani · 2004-09-17 06:17 · Score: 1

i guess the editors thought this story was so important that they had to remind us repeatedly.

personally, i'm looking forward to the third dupe repost of this same story.

anyone know the record for dupe stories on /. ?

Re:/. reminders by Darthmalt · 2004-09-17 06:26 · Score: 1

I beileive were at number 1569th M$ is teh 3v1l

Revenge of the Techs by cermanius · 2004-09-17 06:17 · Score: 1

I know a few people that used to work in technical support for certain software companies that could profit from this. Example: say a spammer calls up a tech support place for help with the OS his spam box is running on. It *has* happened, I know the tech he talked to. Then Happy Tech turns in Mr. Customer for the 6 figure reward.

That's what I call 2 birds with one stone. Tech Support revenge AND Spam Revenge.... I'm failing to see the downside here....

--
"Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff." -- by an Unknown Wise man.

Running List? by virid · 2004-09-17 06:19 · Score: 1

Has anyone kept tabs of all the duplicates? Which editor has the worst track record?

--
"The world only exists in your eyes. You can make it as big or as small as you want." - F Scott Fitzgerald

Re:Running List? by LiMikeTnux · 2004-09-17 07:13 · Score: 0

"Which editor has the worst track record?"

CmdrTaco.

--
yap

Screw that. by www.sorehands.com · 2004-09-17 06:20 · Score: 1

If they passed a law to eliminate spam instead of the I-CAN-SPAM act, there would not bee a need for a bounty.

If the feds had a law similar to California, people and companies can bring private lawsuits against spammers for $1,000/spam. No need for bounties.

--
Fight Spammers!

corporate media & corporations, sittin' in a t by Cryofan · 2004-09-17 06:21 · Score: 1

Dig this excerpt from the end of that article:

But the idea may be premature, according to the Direct Marketing Association, the largest trade group for direct and interactive marketers.

The group believes it would be wise to give the law and law enforcement efforts more time to work before "rushing into a system like this," spokesman Louis Mastria said.

Seems like the corporate media is always willing to give corporations and their lobbies plenty of slack, always ready to bend over backwards for them.

corporate media & corporations,
sittin' in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G

--
eat shiat and bark at the moon

but what do we do with them once we catch them? by Wilk4 · 2004-09-17 06:23 · Score: 5, Insightful

I know we all have our personal lists of the things we'd like to do to spammers ;-) but until someone can effectively prosecute them on it what's the point of catching them?

The laws are pitiful and full of loopholes built in by the direct marketing lobbyists, and even Eliot Spitzer has mostly given the spammers he's prosecuted mere slaps on the wrist.

If I were a spammer, I'd have a friend turn me in for the reward, take the minimal risk that anyone could actually prosecute me on it, then split the reward with the friend. Sounds like instant profit to me...

... and probably an easier way to "make money fast" ;-) than actually spamming...

For that matter, such a scheme could work well enough to bring new people into the spamming field just to turn themselves in...

Re:but what do we do with them once we catch them? by Violet+Null · 2004-09-17 07:33 · Score: 1

I'd have a friend turn me in for the reward, take the minimal risk that anyone could actually prosecute me on it

Most (all?) of these bounty type rewards are predicated on successful prosecution. So, split it three ways with the prosecutor to agree to some probationary sentence...
Re:but what do we do with them once we catch them? by Wilk4 · 2004-09-17 07:46 · Score: 1

by "take the minimal risk that anyone could actually prosecute me on it"
I meant, of course, that the risk was minimal of being successfully prosecuted *OR* that the punishment would be worse than my cut of the bounty...
$250,000 for some of the 'sentences' I've read about seems like a pretty good deal.
Of course the risks of being beaten to a pulp in prison when the other prisoners found out you are a spammer should be factored in... ;-) I hear child molestors don't fare well in prison once word gets around - I wonder how spammers fare?
Re:but what do we do with them once we catch them? by megarich · 2004-09-17 08:02 · Score: 0

maybe we can just kill em, and use the loop holes in the laws to end up with 2 weeks probation for the crime...
Re:but what do we do with them once we catch them? by Wilk4 · 2004-09-17 08:09 · Score: 1

I think that falls under "justifiable homicide" ;-)
Re:but what do we do with them once we catch them? by bheerssen · 2004-09-17 08:43 · Score: 1

I know we all have our personal lists of the things we'd like to do to spammers ;-)

Oh, you betcha. I'm thinking of something out of "A Clockwork Orange." Force the spammer to watch 2000 hours of the worlds worst television commercials and infomercials -- set to Shania Twain, Britney, or something even more insipid if it can be found.

--
(Score: -1, Stupid)

Dead or Alive? by FFFish · 2004-09-17 06:26 · Score: 1

Is this like ye olde bounties on ye rats and snakes and stuff, where you got paid for the skins?

If so, I'm in, dammit. Killin' me some spammers would make my year!

--

--
Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.

If I were a spammer... by imbaczek · 2004-09-17 06:30 · Score: 1

I'd be proud as hell!

Follow the money, pull the licenses by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:30 · Score: 1, Interesting

Pull the licenses of the mortgage brokers using spam and faxes to sell their services. It's that simple. I'm getting faxes for companies advertising penny stocks also. Where's the SEC? Why are they allowing this? The company's disclaimer says they're getting paid via stock and cash to advertise the company. Prevent the listing, prevent the offering, santion the company. Watch how fast they straighten themselves out.

Follow the money. And stop bending over for the DMA. All the Can-Spam act did is make Richter and his cohorts legitimate. If the legislators wanted to put a stop to spam, they would. But they like the corporate money too much. Follow the money and stop the bullshit.

Let the punishment fit the crime by jhendow · 2004-09-17 06:31 · Score: 1

Spam is a waste of bandwidth and storage. But most annoyingly, it's a burglary of my time.

Everyone who has been on the receiving end of the convicted spammer should get a full 8 hour day to waste THEIR time. I'm sure they'd *love* to sit in a cell while I take them on a leisurely tour of my vacation photos or my high school annuals.

slipping by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:32 · Score: 0

Is /. slipping or what? maybe they don't care that they reported this yesterday.

Dupe, Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of Earl, Dupe, Dupe... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:32 · Score: 0

Dupe of Earl, Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of Earl, Dupe, Dupe...

Re:Dupe, Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of Earl, Dupe, Dupe... by Rick+Genter · 2004-09-17 06:34 · Score: 2, Funny

Shouldn't that be:

Dupe, Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of URL....

--
Don't underestimate the power of The Source
Re:Dupe, Dupe, Dupe, Dupe of Earl, Dupe, Dupe... by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:37 · Score: 0

FWVLIW, I hate it when people pronounce "URL" as "earl" instead of "you-are-ell" even more than I hate it when people pronounce "SQL" as anything but "ess-kew-ell"...

Better uses for the money by SnakeStu · 2004-09-17 06:32 · Score: 1

No, this is not a bleeding heart "what about the hungry" post... If we risk the assumption that funds are set aside in a budget for this and can only be used for this, wouldn't it be better to spend those funds on building a new email system and helping vendors provide easy migration to the new system? I think fighting spam is a lost cause as long as the technology allows it, and tacking on various odd bits to the technology doesn't really resolve the core problems.

If I have to suffer yet another misguided federal usage of my money, and it must be to hold our hands and try to fix our spam problems, then I'd rather know it was going toward a real solution, even if that just meant spending it on research into ways to build an email system that provides for impossibility of spam, cross-platform (and designed-to-be-safe) support for styled text and embedded images (i.e., "rich" documents), and protection of sender privacy (which may be at odds with preventing spam, thus the need for research rather than a slapdash quick fix).

(I take it from earlier posts that this is a dupe article so maybe it's pointless to post this here, but I'm bored this morning...

--
No Laughing Allowed!

Re:Better uses for the money by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:35 · Score: 0

)

There.

reward size by ConceptJunkie · 2004-09-17 06:33 · Score: 1

Interstingly enough is that it is 'higher than rewards in most high-profile criminal and terrorism cases.

Even though the potential for harm for the top 10 is bigger (in terms of murder, etc), unless the person is a terrorist plotting large-scale attacks, the economic damage from a spammer would be much larger. This argument would have been a lot more convincing four years ago.

Still, if it gets rid of all those v!@gr@ ads, I'm all for it.

--
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

Hey, Timothy! by ceeam · 2004-09-17 06:34 · Score: 3, Funny

CowboyNeal had a first post on this story!

I'd do it by GoClick · 2004-09-17 06:35 · Score: 2, Insightful

I'd rat out just about anyone for spamming for like $1000. let alone 100x that.

Although oddly I don't have a problem with well focused spam. I dont' mind getting spam from my regional compeditors and suppliers. But knock off Pfizer products is a little annoying.

Re:I'd do it by taustin · 2004-09-17 06:38 · Score: 1

I'd rat out spammers if I had to pay to do it. If only someone cared.

Obligatory Star Wars munging by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:35 · Score: 0

Scene: /. HQ -

CmdrTaco: " ...There will be a substantial reward for the one who finds the dupe. You are free to use any methods necessary, but I want them found. And after that, no more duplications!"

timothy: "As you wish."

this is SOOOO yesterday's news. by Stephen+Samuel · 2004-09-17 06:39 · Score: 2, Funny

But you know that already!

--
Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.

Correction by Adam9 · 2004-09-17 06:39 · Score: 1

Isn't that supposed to be USPTO?

Re:Correction by the+unbeliever · 2004-09-17 07:14 · Score: 1

How is what you typed and what's in his sig any different?
Re:Correction by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 07:22 · Score: 0

Changes made to sigs automatically and immediately propagate through the system and all posted comments.

The internet isnt 100% american by Exter-C · 2004-09-17 06:39 · Score: 2, Insightful

HELLO!! the internet isnt all american. a bounty will work in the US. But will it with in the czech republic. What about spammers in thailand, china and anywhere else. These bounties wont work as a solution long term.

Re:The internet isnt 100% american by koreth · 2004-09-17 09:31 · Score: 1

If the US military invades Thailand and takes out just five thousand spammers, the bounties will pay for the operation!
Coming next presidential term: "The Axis of Spam." You heard it here first.
Re:The internet isnt 100% american by Erik+Hensema · 2004-09-17 11:08 · Score: 1

Most spammers are in the US.

--
This is your sig. There are thousands more, but this one is yours.

Slashdot: Enormous bounty on Slashdot editors by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:39 · Score: 0

A great big bounty for everyone that finds the dupe and the slashdot editors that submitted the dupe!

Hmm by Luigi30 · 2004-09-17 06:42 · Score: 1

Don't forget children, report all suspicious people who you think are terrorists, spammers, or file sharers to the local Ministry of L-- er, I mean FBI.

--
503 Sig Unavailable

The Signature could not be accessed. Please try again later or contact the administrator

Burglary of your time? What about TV & radio a by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 06:42 · Score: 0

Burglary of your time? What about television & radio commerials?
TV ads have stolen months of most people's lives, but nobody seems to want to do anything about that!

I haven't watched broadcast TV or listened to commercial radio in years, because of the preponderance of commericials!

Spam, on the other hand, is merely a minor inconvenience to me, since all you have to do is delete it, rather than endure it!

Duplicate - fire editor by Animats · 2004-09-17 06:47 · Score: 1

Did this story yesterday. Late yesterday. It's still in the "older stuff" list. The Slashdot "editors" aren't even reading their own front page now.

Maybe the Slashdot editors could be replaced by the Google news engine, with a different set of priority rules. Then Slashdot could go on full auto. Might work better.

"Real" crime by IGnatius+T+Foobar · 2004-09-17 06:50 · Score: 1

Interstingly enough is that it is 'higher than rewards in most high-profile criminal and terrorism cases.'

What did you expect? Violent crime usually only affects people in ghettos and inner cities. Spam affects everyone -- including a bunch of fat old white men who control the wealth and power in this country. Therefore it's a more important crime to impose stiff penalties for.

Don't blame me, I voted Libertarian. You want more of this type of crap, go ahead and re-select Bushoco this year.

--
Tired of FB/Google censorship? Visit UNCENSORED!

Legislative Problem? by john_anderson_ii · 2004-09-17 06:51 · Score: 1

Let's face it folks, there are some things you just can't legislate! Whenever something becomes an annoyance or a nuisance we, as Americans (mostly), run to the apron strings of our House and Senate, and demand that they pass a law to make that nuisance illegal. While this is fine and dandy in some cases there are a few cases where this just isn't possible.

There are a few resons why legislation just doesn't change things! We have legislated equality, but that didn't end racism because we can't legislate stupidity. We have legislated anti-trust/monopoly laws, but that hasn't stopped monopolies because we can't legislate what consumers purchase. We can legislate spam but that won't end spam! I think the reason's are mainy because: A.) No matter what you believe as an American, our laws do not legislate the world! I may not be able to legally send spam from Arizona, but what if I drive on down to Tiajuana? B.) Spammers have just as much right to send you a spam email as the local Bashas has to send you a flier!

The problem and eventual solution lies within statement 'B' above. You see, Bashas foots the bill for said flyer....what does it cost the spammer? Little to nothing. There are two main approaches to effectively controlling spam and both approaches have little to do with legislation. First is technologically. I like the idea of an authenticated email system. If I had the brainpower to draft such a system I'd be hard at work on it instead of posting on /. If I had to have a special key, or invitiation to send someone an email, and that someone had to have a key or invitation to send me an email, that would make the spammers job much harder. Second is financially. We need to somehow reduce the amount of money to be made in the spamming market while increasing the costs of spamming. This will cause the market to shrink....of course one guy with an army of infected drones could probably produce as much email as the whole lot of them. Therefore, we, as in the internet community in general, need to become more dilligent and keep our systems from becoming tools of the spammer.

Yes I know I spoke in generalities. There are a lot of demands to stop spam and too few answers as to how. I, for one, am thoroughly convinced that legislation is not an effective answer though.

--
Be Safe! Sleep with a Marine. Semper Fi!

What do they want for proof to collect? by zymurgyboy · 2004-09-17 07:04 · Score: 1

A patch of identifying fur? Or will their tails or horns suffice?

--
If you never make mistakes, it's probably because you're not doing anything.

Overseas spammers by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 07:07 · Score: 0

And what good would this do to the countless spammers that are overseas?

Whenever there is something illegal in this country, you can bet that there is a country out that the action is legal or, with the right amount of money, can be made legal.

Really? Who'd a thunk. by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 07:10 · Score: 0

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." - G.W. Bush, 9/13/01

"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." - G.W. Bush, 3/13/02

Apparently, Republicans don't flip-flop, they just "change their minds".

Wrong ammo by Anders+Andersson · 2004-09-17 07:13 · Score: 1

Rocks? Don't you mean mail order catalogs?

Zombies by hank · 2004-09-17 07:19 · Score: 1

How does this affect zombies? Will little ol' grandmothers and 6-year old boys have an e-bounty on their head because they didn't properly patch their systems?

How come the dupes by BitterAndDrunk · 2004-09-17 07:19 · Score: 1

are always posted by Timothy? Doesn't he have stuff to do in South Park?

TIMMAY!

--
You better watch out, there may be dogs about . . .

$100,000? Not bad by theonetruekeebler · 2004-09-17 07:21 · Score: 4, Funny

Now, is that just for the pelt, or do I have to bring in the whole spammer?

--
This is not my sandwich.

Slashdot: Subscribe Now! by denttford · 2004-09-17 07:21 · Score: 3, Funny

The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and pay to see yesterday's stories again!

--

Leben Sie jetzt die Fragen.

All this does is legitimize spam from big companie by gelfling · 2004-09-17 07:21 · Score: 1

It's not as if the FCC is going to go after spam from say the phone company or the 20 largest contributors to the Bush campaign. No the little guys'l get squashed "for the children..."

How about a bounty for law-makers ... by James+Turpin · 2004-09-17 07:24 · Score: 2, Interesting

... who write laws that effectively stop spammers? Writing legislation on commission, what a novel concept! Oh, woops, I almost forgot, that's what big-money lobbyists offer all the time.

--
Mathematics is not a crime.

dupe of url by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 07:27 · Score: 0

just *once* it would be nice if the /. editors actually READ THEIR FSCKING SITE!

it's not that damn hard, you lazy ass bastards.

Economic, my ass! by Dark+Coder · 2004-09-17 07:28 · Score: 1

This is a retraction of an earlier post... Whiplash II said it best here.

A minute of downloading, reading, assessment then deleting a SPAM times a million people equals 48 lifetime.

Spammers do fall in the same class as a a bon-fide qualified mass-murderer.

But when you break it down to $ per victim by djktno · 2004-09-17 07:31 · Score: 2, Insightful

Spam, as a criminal activity, affects way more people directly than most other serious offenses. When you look at murder, for example, say one person kills another. That is obviously one victim. Add to that everyone that that person knows, and on average that crime affected ~ 100 people (making the math easy)? If that killer makes the 10 most wanted, there may be a $50,000 bounty out. That would be about $500 / person affected.

Look at spam then. One message goes out to 10 million addresses. Then multiply that one message by a conservative 10 messages per day.

Say both these criminals are out on the street for 100 days before each is ratted out. The killer has affected 100 people in this time, with one occurrence - about 100 effects. The spammer has spammed 10 million people with 10 messages for 100 days. That is 10,000,000,000 occurrences of the "crime".

Dollars per occurrence - Murderer - $50,000 / 100 = $500 / effect. Spammer - $250,000 / 10,000,000,000 = $0.000025 per effect

So the FTC is spending way less than the FBI for each of us affected by the crimes.

Perhaps they need a bigger budget? =)

Re:But when you break it down to $ per victim by Beardo+the+Bearded · 2004-09-17 11:11 · Score: 1

Uh, there's a bit of a difference in scope. I realize that with both, it's hard to check your email and the recipient doesn't generally appreciate what you're doing.

Apart from that, spam doesn't really hurt anyone physically, does it? Yes, it's a royal pain in the ass and it gives you a headache, but it's not the "Oh, hey, I've got a hatchet in my spleen!" kind of hurting.

Ten years ago, you didn't give a shit if your email came through, did you? You can live without it. You can't live without not being murdered. Thinking that spamming is on the same scale as murder is ridiculous. It's the kind of argument that means our lawmakers aren't going to take us seriously. Think more, sensationalize less.

--

---
ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.

D'oh! Ahahaha. by Samurai+Cat! · 2004-09-17 07:34 · Score: 1

You could be right! :)

--

"People" using "unnecessary" quotes should be "shot".

Return the stolen wealth... by Cheerio+Boy · 2004-09-17 07:47 · Score: 2, Interesting

While I doubt it would happen, I would like to see spammers punished in other ways as well as the big bounty.

Divide the spammer's current net-worth - minus the minimum amount to live for one year - then liquidate and distribute it to everyone that received the spam. Or as many as can be reached after much effort. Make doing this a requirement for the spammer to keep out of federal prison. Make them show progress like an unemployed person has to show progress.

After one year if the person has not found a replacement job of any type or has gone back to spamming then induct them into a government menial job or military service in a non-combat role.

Not an ideal solution but it would at least re-distribute the wealth stolen by these spammers. You'll never get the time back though...

--

"Bah!" - Dogbert

I think almost no crime is more serious. by SuperKendall · 2004-09-17 07:52 · Score: 1

The problem I have is one of weight. Overall, one spammer can literally annoy hundreds of millions of people. While any one individual might not more more than somewhat annoyed, in the aggrigate I find this to be a huge crime against humanity - like spitting in the faces of a million people at once.

Almost no other crime has the ability to affect so many people at once. That's why I am happy they are taking this more and more seriously.

Aside from that argument and one of the money it costs businesses to deal with, the rise of spam has also led to the rise of viruses and the like - which are needed to harvest computers for use in sending spam. If there were no so much money flying around for spam I am pretty sure the degree and complexity of exploits would be far lower, as there would be many fewer people working on them with fewer resources. Eventually the combination of organized crime and great technological sophistication being developed is not going to lead to even huger problems, with real systems like banks or other things that seem more serious at the moment.

--
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley

My turn! by SuperKendall · 2004-09-17 07:55 · Score: 1

Dear Slashdotters,

Do you need a new mortgage?
Do you want to earn your d1pl0ma?
Do you want a Nigerian penis?
Send $1 to:

Happy Dude
355 S 520 W, Ste. 100
Lindon, UT 84042
Sincerely,
Darl McBride

------

Oh wait, we were supposed to pull DIFFERENT posts? I thought the plan sounded kind of lame.

--
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley

I agree and thank you for posting by SuperKendall · 2004-09-17 07:59 · Score: 1

I can only agree. At some point the annoyance of some number of people has to go beyond the killing of only one. I don't know what that number is but I know spammers have more than crossed it.

--
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley

I'll take a cheque please.... by Andy_R · 2004-09-17 08:00 · Score: 2, Funny

Alan M. Ralsky
6747 Minnow Pond Dr.
West Bloomfield, MI 48322-2663
248-926-0688
amr777@comcast.net

--
A pizza of radius z and thickness a has a volume of pi z z a

OK, who moved this article to it.slashdot.org? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 08:00 · Score: 0

*GRRR*

It was in the generic slashdot.org section earlier, and now some SPAMMER moved decided to use ugly colors. How typical of spammers.

http://shit.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/09/17/1 754202

Do get my very own KGB Badge too? by Hylandr · 2004-09-17 08:03 · Score: 1

Do I get one of those nifty KGB badges for my collection of law enforcement memorabilia too?

--
~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.

I'm going to write me a minivan by BigFire · 2004-09-17 08:06 · Score: 1

This reminds me of ole Dilbert strip about PHB reward system for finding bugs in software...

Wally said: I'm going to write me a minivan.

Lady Di by Anders+Andersson · 2004-09-17 08:13 · Score: 1

Along a similar line of thought, if ten million people around the world each pay a nickel to see their favorite celebrity in some tabloid paper, that may accumulate to a bounty big enough to send paparazzi photographers chasing said celebrity on motorbikes, perhaps killing her in the process... Then tell who isn't guilty?

Re:Stop the foreign spammers with money? nah. by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 08:13 · Score: 0

OK, Here's a list of 3 million IP addresses that are relaying spam. I block mail from them to my inbox. So does Sourceforge. Who's going to pay all this money? Next idea?

Hooray! by stealth.c · 2004-09-17 08:22 · Score: 1

More frivolous federal spending!

I can't believe people still think this administration is "conservative."

Bounty on spammers. by Tesral · 2004-09-17 08:29 · Score: 2, Funny

Just one question: Will I have to turn in the entire spammer, or will the pelt be enough?

--
Garry AKA -Phoenix- Rising Above the Flames
Si hoc legere scis nimium eruditionis habes

MOD PARENT UP by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 08:32 · Score: 0

Jeez! Some of you guys with mod points have a major sense of humour failure. The story about USB enhancements was the previous story on /. the point being that that a post like this would also be a dupe. It's what we call a little joke!

Re:What we need is... Tora Bora Spam and Thongs... by davidsyes · 2004-09-17 08:45 · Score: 1

I wonder how many of these spammers already headed for Tora Bora...

On second thought, will they be safe? Chased by the US, and run out they those ahead of them.

Hmm, imagine if Bin Laden could start spamming all the ISP's. THEN, they'd be forced to deal with spam once and for all.

I can see it now: "Spammer twirls and drops thong in a depsperate comedic plea to sqaut in dangerous territory...

--
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"

Doesn't hold by SuperKendall · 2004-09-17 08:47 · Score: 1

In that case you have individuals on individuals - the process is not as direct. As a spammer I directly annoy millions of people, with no human intermediary.

In the case of the Paparazzi, only one person is really responsible - the driver of the car. Did millions of fans cause the driver to drive at unsafe speeds throug a tunnel? Nope. There are other ways to deal with harrassing biker photographers. Even the bikers themselves I do not feel are responsible, even if a contributing factor.

--
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley

Re:Doesn't hold by Anders+Andersson · 2004-09-17 09:22 · Score: 1

Legal and moral responsibility are two different things. I agree that buyers of magazines cannot be held legally responsible for what the magazine editors are encouraged to do. Morally however, they contribute to the deeds of the editors (or other individuals employed by the magazine) in much the same way as those who buy stuff from spammers contribute to spamming.

As for the actual cause of the accident, I also agree that the driver was ultimately responsible, though I doubt the crash would have happened if there had been no paparazzi photographers around that night. I can avoid that question and ask whether millions of fans actually wanted the photographers to chase Lady Di and her company on motorbikes. They probably didn't, yet they sort of paid for it in advance.

A few spammers annoy a large number of spam victims, and a large number of fans annoy a few celebrities. Whether there are additional individuals involved may matter from a legal point of view, but hardly from a moral one. It's not like I can eliminate the annoyance of spam by having my butler screen my e-mail for me; I'd merely be transferring the annoyance to my butler.

Re:Potentially duplicating DOJ Spamming local PD? by davidsyes · 2004-09-17 08:55 · Score: 1

Two questions:

1. What do we do when the spammers raise the stakes (or, raze the steaks) and forge the spam even better? Next, we could have the cops so busy, they'll either ruthlessly and incorrectly charge the innocent, or they'll just walk away from bad press.

2. Why not pay someone to spam the hell out of the agencies charged with reducing spam? (I am assuming that one agency of the government allows it to spur the lazier agencies into action, hehehe.) If spammed to hell, I am sure the FBI would go all-out. And, they might actually enjoy inter-agency cooperation... The police would never again say, "You're out of your jurisdiction..."...

David Syes

--
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"

Re:Potentially duplicating-- Where a way, a will.. by davidsyes · 2004-09-17 09:04 · Score: 1

"Frankly, I still think the proper thing to do is to have a large statutory penalty, say $10,000/spam, that anyone can collect in small-claims court."

If we raise the penalty to $10,000,000 per incident, would that be "statutory rape"? Or ineffective, inefficient process of law?

Seriously, whatever is going on with the "spam flag"? Spamming would be less effective if people could filter it out, but then the spammers would get paid less, too, if their payload is universally ditched on detection.

Even with Sender ID, I think eventually "sophisticated" spammers would just adapt like cockroaches, toad, sharks, alligators, and non-hardening feces and just learn to forge or hijack valid email. Maybe they would set up their own "Man in the middle" e-mail servers to strip spam flags from or make "legit" the payload they can intercept.

Pretty soon, spammers tapping into cables or bribing their way into datacenters might be a problem.

Maybe keying/encrypting traffic is the likely best way to deal with this, but, "Where there's a way, there's a will." as a Marine SSGT I once reported to would tell us for motivation.

David Syes

--
Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"

Re:Dupe, Dupe, to my Lou... by The+Conductor · 2004-09-17 09:11 · Score: 1

Heh, my mind's ear put it to the tune of "Skip to my Lou."

There are too many "Dupe"'s there, but that makes them dupes, right?

The punishment should fit the crime by Thaelon · 2004-09-17 09:59 · Score: 1

I think long jailterms are the wrong thing for people who commit computer crimes such as spamming, virus writing and the like.

I think their punishment should be to work in a tech support helpdesk for a number of years. It's the worst tech job you can have really. Of course they'll have to be supervised heavily to ensure they don't instruct sheeple to turn their home computers into zombies and the like, but its still a lot less monitoring required than a prison.

--

Question everything

How much for just the hide? by mwood · 2004-09-17 10:05 · Score: 1

Just kidding....

Re:Terrorists have chosen the better business mode by Loren_Burlingame · 2004-09-17 11:31 · Score: 1

lower than religious significance?

No Longer an Extreme by Malevolyn · 2004-09-17 11:33 · Score: 1

Spam has gotten so out of hands these days that I'm surprised it hasn't come to this. Would anyone be surprised if this suddenly happened?

--
Your ad here.

Dead or Alive? by macdaddy · 2004-09-17 12:01 · Score: 1

Dead or alive? Do I get to pick?

Friends Rat Out vs. Enemies Hunt Down by billstewart · 2004-09-17 14:22 · Score: 1

It's not that the spammers' friends are loyal - it's that the better ones are making money spamming, and they don't want to lose the cash.

But bounties also mean that a spammer has to worry about unemployed highly skilled dotcommers or bored teenagers hunting them down for the reward money. Recent news reports indicate that about 500,000 tech people have lost jobs in the last couple of years. Spamhaus estimates that most of the world's spam comes from the top 200 spammers, so they're outnumbered 2500 to 1. At $100K a head for the winning spam-hunters, that'd be a mere $20M to catch them and shut them down; I'd think the big ISPs would pony up that kind of money just for the cost savings.

--

Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks

Make them delete all the mail they've sent by billstewart · 2004-09-17 14:24 · Score: 1

Sure, just hitting "D" doesn't take very long. If Spamboy can do that once a second, and he sent ten million spams last week, he ought to be done by spring.

--

Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks

Lets offer a reward .. Taken from the people by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-17 15:02 · Score: 2, Interesting

Funny : Although no pysical person seems to be allowed to prosecute a spammer for his/her losses to them, they are "required" (read : forced, by way of an extra tax) to pay for any bounty offered for capture of those miscreants.

I've got a good idea : let the very companies, who are allowed to recuperate their, losses by sueing a spammer, pay the bounty.

Why should I, as a mere end-user of the system, be required to take my losses (due to the time busy with both removing spam, as well as the cost of anti-spam software) without a right to recuperate them from the person(s) causing it, and than have to pay for the costs of finding those culprits too.

I can be wrong, but it looks like a lose-lose situation for me ....

Well, that makes it official... by The+One+and+Only · 2004-09-19 15:12 · Score: 1

This is the only motivation I needed. I have now decided to become a bounty hunter.

--
In Repressive Burma, it's not just your connection that dies. slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=314547&cid=20819199

244 comments