[CS-FSLUG] Let's Talk About It: Web of Trust

[Robert W.]

On 12/28/05, Ed Hurst <ehurst at asisaid.com> wrote:
[snip]
> Lawsuits are good, and more power to those who can do that. We see
> some government policies are raising the price of spam somewhat. It
> should always be possible to sue successfully in small claims court.
> Sadly, we can't do that here in the US unless we are an ISP. I've  
> already written at length about how spamming shifts the cost of  
> advertising almost entirely onto the individual recipients. That's  
> immoral; it amounts to an indirect theft, an abuse of services for  
> which users pay. Hitting spammers in the pocket book is the only  
> legitimate way to hurt them.
[snip]

The same can be said of junk mail (the paper kind). Catalogs and flyer  
don't really bother me. They are clearly advertisements. I despise the  
student loan junk that come in a plain envelope with "Important  
information about your student loan" stamped on the outside. The  
difference lies entirely with the sender's intent.

The catalogs and flyers are clearly advertisements. The sender made no  
attempt to conceal this, or trick me into reading it. They left me in  
complete control of whether I want to investigate or toss it.

On the other hand, those loan offers are purposefully deceitful. And  
designed in every way to trick me into making an ill-informed purchase.

The problem is not spam. The problem is dishonest advertising. The  
solution isn't cracking down on spam. It's tightening down on the  
marketers manipulating us with false implications. That's a much harder  
problem to solve.

-- 
Robert W.
robertwo at insightbb.com

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. -- Matthew 7:7