My first reaction to this was to be outraged. I've since thought about it a little more, and have calmed down, and now I can see that there is probably very little harm that this does.
However, two things bother me, still:
1) I'd feel a lot better if this had nothing to do with obcenity or indecency. I would be all for an anti-harrassment or anti-stalking statute, but this is not it. It seems that the anti-spamming issue is an excuse to do much more.
2) What happens when offending mail crosses international borders? who's jurisdiction is it?
It's true that I just don't trust the government anyway. All of that aside, this decision should put us a little on edge. It could make someone a criminal unwittingly.
Slashdot Mirror
My first reaction to this was to be outraged. I've since thought about it a little more, and have calmed down, and now I can see that there is probably very little harm that this does.
However, two things bother me, still:
1) I'd feel a lot better if this had nothing to do with obcenity or indecency. I would be all for an anti-harrassment or anti-stalking statute, but this is not it. It seems that the anti-spamming issue is an excuse to do much more.
2) What happens when offending mail crosses international borders? who's jurisdiction is it?
It's true that I just don't trust the government anyway. All of that aside, this decision should put us a little on edge. It could make someone a criminal unwittingly.