Microsoft Wins Record Amount from Hotmail Spammer

mytrip writes to tell us News.com is reporting that Microsoft has won a record $87,177 against spammer Paul Fox who used a hotmail account to direct users to his pornographic download site. From the article: "But while Microsoft has clearly won, the case highlights a failure in the British legal system to tackle spam. Despite efforts by the Information Commissioner's Office to gain power from the Department of Trade & Industry to deal with spam, Information Commissioner Richard Thomas remains hamstrung."

Comments

Another Sham Victory

[mpapet]

Symbolic: "Microsoft making a world full of online threats safer for Y-O-U!"

Best case scenario:
1. the guy/organization/whatever claims bankruptcy and it's pennies on the dollar for MS.
2. Microsoft charges you more for their spam security software.

Lately with MS and most mega-corps, it's about maintaining a very high level of fear of non-compliance.

I'm glad I get paid to work on their product because it requires so much babysitting. Thank dog I don't run it at home anymore.

Good For Them

[aztracker1]

I really hope they get to collect... What is really needed is a two pronged approach.

The first step is to eliminate most of the pseudo-anonymity of email... Not necessarily so much as to create the authentication system that Yahoo, or MS seem to be pushing for, even the lighter SPF system would be a good start. Of course the big guys need to work together, most internet email goes to MSN/Hotmail, AOL, and Yahoo, with larger ISPs like Earthlink, Qwest, etc. taking up a huge portion of the rest... If even half of the above required either A: SPF, or B: the sending MTA *IS* authenticated, or the MTA in the MX listing for the header's "from" this would do it... Now the responsible parties for email would be at least more trackable, since the spam zombies would be ineffective, or at least less effective (Responsible ISP mail admins flagging accounts with >10 emails an hour for review).

The second is to allow suits like this to have more teeth... Bankrupt the scum, ceize their assets.. Procecute under whatever applicable laws (most likely fraud).

Nor can he protect from Big Brother / Govt secrecy

[UpnAtom]

Why on earth is it being left to the Information Commissioner to pursue spammers? Does he not have enough on his plate with the British Govt...

a) ... about to reverse the legal right to privacy trying create the world's most intrusive database on citizens.
b) ... using taxpayers' resources to frustrate hundreds of thousands of valid requests under the Freedom of Information Act?

Re:Uhhh... is that serious?

[rel4x]

Not intentionally. People still use them as "FROM:" addresses w/ proxies or open relays. Back in the day they were victrims of these bastard ass programs called "Internal Mailers" that utilize thousands and thousands of botted accounts, and send out 250 or so mails each. This guy sounds like he wasnt near that sophisticated. That's why he got caught.