Can-Spam Increased Spam

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Posted by CmdrTaco on Tuesday February 1, 2005 @05:14AM from the eggs-bacon-sausage-and-sniffle dept.

andy1307 writes "According to New York Times, spam has actually gone up [Free registration required. You gave real info, right?] since the CAN-SPAM act went into effect. There is a graphic in the article that illustrates this increase. Before the CAN-SPAM act was passed, spam was about 60% of all e-mail traffic. Now it's 80%. In a we-told-you-so quote, Steve Linford, the founder of the Spamhaus Project, says CAN-SPAM legalized spam by giving bulk advertisers permission to send junk e-mail as long as they followed certain rules. Slashdot covered this story last year. For companies that offer offshore "bulk advertising" servers, business is booming. A survey from Stanford University estimates the global cost of spam in terms of lost productivity to be at 50 billion $ and 17 billion $ in the US alone. CAN-SPAM does give prosecutors some leverage to go after the merchants - but it must be proved that they knew, or should have known, that their wares were being fed into the illegal spam chain. " The BBC has a related story talking about rates of spam, viruses, and scam mail.

16 of 362 comments (clear)

And the spammers seemed like such nice people by Anonymous Coward · 2005-02-01 05:15 · Score: 3, Funny

Who would've thought they'd abuse a new law?
1. Re:And the spammers seemed like such nice people by andy1307 · 2005-02-01 05:55 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  They should have called it CAN'T-SPAM....What do they expect from people when you tell them they can spam..
It's a shame too... by Powercntrl · 2005-02-01 05:16 · Score: 5, Funny

I was truly hoping Can Spam meant sealing spammers up in airtight containers, preserving them for study by future generations.

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DRM is like antifreeze, to the MPAA/RIAA it's sweet, to the consumers it's poison.
1. Re:It's a shame too... by Tackhead · 2005-02-01 05:17 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  > I was truly hoping Can Spam meant sealing spammers up in airtight containers, preserving them for study by future generations.
  What do you have against archaeologists from the future?
Here's the problem by elid · 2005-02-01 05:19 · Score: 2, Funny

"There's way too much money involved," Mr. Gillespie said, noting that his service, which is currently down, provided him with a six-figure income at its peak. "And if there's money to be made, people are going to go out and get it."
This is the problem. Until the business of spamming stops producing profits, spam won't stop. It's beyond my comprehension why anyone would buy anything from spam.
1. Re:Here's the problem by RandoX · 2005-02-01 05:36 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  I could give you a thousand reasons. Give me your email address...
Re:Duh... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-02-01 05:23 · Score: 2, Funny

I didn't see this coming. Can I have a job as a clueless legislator please?
Re:'Nother example by MaestroSartori · 2005-02-01 05:35 · Score: 2, Funny

I am a Scotsman, you insensitive clod!

(kilts are better than trousers, clearly) :)

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Game dev and music blog
Cross your T's and dot your... by vikramrn · 2005-02-01 05:46 · Score: 2, Funny

thats CAUSALITY. you left an 'i' out of your .sg :)
1. Re:Cross your T's and dot your... by FortKnox · 2005-02-01 05:51 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  so you might say the i was a casualty? Heh, thanks.
  
  --
  Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
Re:I THOUGHT TO I UP THE FUCK SHUT YOU TOLD by Rufus88 · 2005-02-01 05:57 · Score: 5, Funny

Re:I THOUGHT TO I UP THE FUCK SHUT YOU TOLD

Remember kids, Jolt Cola and HP calculators simply DO NOT mix!! Just say no.
Re:Saw this on Usenet by Anonymous Coward · 2005-02-01 06:07 · Score: 2, Funny

>b) Guido the Fish and Two Finger Tony get hired to smoke the top 100 spam offenders, reducing the need for antispam spending worldwide,

I would recommend the Russian mafia. They are computer-literate, efficient, and inexpensive, although they can sometimes be unnecessarily brutal.

They have an office in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York.
Re:[tt]:Duh... by Anonymous Coward · 2005-02-01 06:20 · Score: 2, Funny

I ordered from one of those "3NL4RG3 Y0U4 P3N1S" ads. All I got was a new boss, and he was a bigger dick than my last one.
Re:What a lot of people are forgetting... by Steve+B · 2005-02-01 07:20 · Score: 2, Funny

There are plenty of alternatives. For instance, spammers could also be used to fill potholes.
The repentant ones could, instead of actually filling potholes, be permitted to shovel asphalt into them.

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/. If the government wants us to respect the law, it should set a better example.
CAN-SPAM by lnxpilot · 2005-02-01 13:07 · Score: 2, Funny

Can- as in "is able to".

Now they can... :)
PROOF of causation!!! by noidentity · 2005-02-01 14:26 · Score: 2, Funny

I offer proof that the CAN SPAM act caused more SPAM. Here is a graph of SPAM volume, starting when the CAN SPAM act was passed. Note how it increases after the act was passed. I think this should persuade anyone that the CAN SPAM act was the cause of this increase. More / / / / / Less / - - - - CAN SPAM Present