24/7 Media Snags Restraining Order Against MAPS
Ad server and technology company 24/7 Media succeeded in getting a temporary restraining order against anti-spam non-profit Mail Abuse Prevention System, on behalf of 24/7's e-mail marketing subsidiary, 24/7 Exactis. [InternetNews]
A Fight to Ban Cellphone Spam
Hundreds of unsuspecting AT&T wireless subscribers in April protested when spam trickled from their PCs to cellular phones. [Wired]
Anti-Spam Bill Clears Key Hurdle
An anti-spam bill that could have a wide-reaching effect on online marketing is one step closer to becoming law following the U.S. House Commerce Committee's vote Wednesday. [E-Commerce Times]
Anti-spam groups slam RECA proposal
Privacy and anti-spam activists have given two thumbs down to the latest attempt at self-regulation by the online marketing industry. [ZDNet]
AOL spammer pleads guilty to forgery
A man who spammed millions of AOL subscribers with pornography and get-rich-quick schemes has pleaded guilty to second-degree forgery in a US District court. [The Register]
ASD.com First Company in Tennessee to Win Anti-Spa
A Tennessee company wins a lawsuit under new state anti-spam legislation.
AT&T admits spam offense after contract expose
AT&T acknowledged Thursday that it had violated its own spam policy by providing Web-hosting services to a purported sender of unsolicited commercial email. [CNET.com]
Brightmail Debuts Wireless Anti-Spam 'Mailwal
Seeking to protect wireless e-mail users from spam and viruses, Brightmail, Inc. announced the release of new software that acts as a "mailwall." [Wireless Newsfactor]
CNET.com: AT&T admits spam offense after contr
AT&T acknowledged Thursday that it had violated its own spam policy by providing Web-hosting services to a purported sender of unsolicited commercial email.
Consumer watchdogs fail the Spam Test
Report on European consumer watchdog groups with no spam policies. [The Register]
Despite Foes, Spam Thrives
Even though there are now some state laws closely regulating spamming, the practice of sending mass unsolicited e-mails has acquired a sheen of respectability, and in some quarters is enthusiastically referred to as "sending an e-mail blitz." [E-Commerce Times]
E-Mail Delays Plague Verizon Users
Company Blames Network Troubles on a Flood of 'Spam' [Washington Post]
E-mail Marketers Target Spam
A group of 15 companies has announced that they will form a coalition to design e-mail standards to limit spam. Among the companies involved in the Responsible Electronic Communication. [PC World]
EBay investigating spam scam
Picture this: Luxury accommodations on a world-class cruise ship. Free dinner for two. Free drinks. Las Vegas-style entertainment and dancing. Sound too good to be true? You bet it is. [CBS.MarketWatch.com]
eBay To Get $1.2M in Spam Settlement
eBay, Inc. said it will get $1.2 million (US$) under a lawsuit settlement with ReverseAuction.com, Inc., which had been accused of illegally obtaining eBay user IDs and addresses in order to send them unwanted and misleading e-mail. [E-Commerce Times]
Europe to ban spam?
An influential body of data protection experts could be about to recommend that Europe bans spam. [The Register]
Harris Interactive Files Suit Against AOL, Microso
Mainly an attack on MAPS, claiming that Harris are not spammers and should not be blocked.
Harris sues ISPs over spam blockade
Polling giant claims ISPs have been duped into blocking millions of its e-mails in an anti-spam scam cooked up by a rival. [ZDNet]
Hotmailers Getting Fat on Spam
Ask Hotmail users about their email accounts and most likely they will gripe how impossible it is to eliminate spam. [Wired]
House approves anti-spam legislation
The House of Representatives today passed the first bill that will hold email marketers accountable for the influx of bulk unsolicited email, commonly known as "spam." [CNET.com]
IKEA enlists friends for email publicity
Home furnishing retailer IKEA has a new spin on spam, recruiting friends of friends to get the word out about its new store opening in the San Francisco Bay area. [CNET.com]
In Defense of Spam
No one will admit to liking spam -- the canned pseudo-meat or the unsolicited e-mail that bears its name. But despite the current efforts of governments in North America and Europe to get it back into the can, spam is destined to be, and should be, a fact of Internet life -- just like junk mail is in the real world. [E-Commerce Times]
Industry group cooks up rules for spam
Complaints about unsolicited commercial email have prompted an industry coalition to come up with standards designed to quell consumer concerns and keep regulators at bay. [CNET.com]
Insider slams Kiwi spam fighters
ORBS' proactive approach to fighting bulk e-mail may actually help spammers. But the group's chief critic is under the gun, too. [ZDNet]
ISPs find spam verdict hard to swallow
Internet service providers and permission-based marketing agencies are up in arms about the government's decision not to regulate against unsolicited commercial email or spam, as it's more commonly known. [Media Guardian] [Requires free registration.]
Junk e-mail eradicated?
Online marketing - sometimes called spamming - is trying to clean up its act - so don't mention the S word. [BBC News]
Mail Abuse Prevention Organization Stands Up to Gi
MAPS, the anti-spam organization, will vigorously defend the law suit filed by Harris Interactive Inc. [PR Newswire]
Major ISPs Boot Spammers
As a result of intense pressure from anti-spam activists, major ISPs are taking steps to ensure their salespeople do not sign contracts with companies that send unsolicited commercial e-mail. [E-Commerce Times]
MAPS vs Exactis
Mail Abuse Prevention System lists Exactis mail servers in Realtime Blackhole List (RBL); Exactis files lawsuit. [MAPS press release]
MAPS Wins First-Round in Spam Case
A judge Tuesday denied Harris Interactive's request for a temporary restraining order that would have forced anti-spam organization Mail Abuse Prevention System to remove the online researcher from its "Realtime Blackhole List." [InternetNews]
Mega-ISPs And Spam Support
Discussion about pink contracts. [Slashdot]
Microsoft to rewrite marketing labeled as spam
Microsoft today said it plans to revise a notification message accompanying a test version of its new MSN Explorer software, bowing to criticism that the feature resembles self-promoting spam. [CNET.com]
More accountability for spammers?
New e-mail marketing standards promise to balance privacy and personalization. Can the industry police itself? Will it? [ZDNet]
MSN blacklisted for harbouring spammers
Microsoft's vastly interconnected ISP and portal, MSN, has become easy prey for spammers due to several poorly-protected mail (SMTP) servers to which outsiders can connect easily for a free, anonymous ride, according to a bulletin on the Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS) Web site. [The Register]
MSN Criticized For Open Spam Relays
Responding to complaints that the Microsoft Network is allowing spammers to relay junk e-mail through MSN servers, the Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS) has added several MSN systems to its notorious anti-spam blacklist. The action could potentially disrupt emails from thousands of legitimate MSN subscribers. [InternetNews]
MSN turns users into spammers
A change of address notification for new users generates MSN Explorer endorsements to colleagues and friends. Make that former friends. [ZDNet]
New MSN feature encourages spamming friends
The latest test version of Microsoft's MSN Explorer is setting off sparks over a feature that converts MSN email accounts to Hotmail, as well as over an accompanying spam-like missive that encourages customers to send an advertisement-laden email to friends and colleagues. [CNET.com]
Oh Yum: There's More Spam
An analysis of data from an e-mail filtering firm shows that more inboxes are being targeted with more junk than ever before. [Wired]
Online Marketers Propose Spam Controls
In a bid to ward off U.S. government regulation, a coalition of online marketing heavyweights announced plans Monday to propose standards meant to ease consumer concerns about spam and online privacy. [E-Commerce Times]
Other Ways to Fry Spam
The Chickenboners and the Lumber Cartel are waging a war over your email box. [Wired]
Pollster loses restraining-order request in spammi
A U.S. District Court judge turned down a request by Harris Interactive for a temporary restraining order that would have required the company to be removed from a list of e-mail spammers while a suit it filed is heard. [Computerworld]
PSINet assailed as spam contract surfaces
Troubled Internet service provider PSINet acknowledged providing access to a sender of bulk unsolicited commercial email, bolstering critics' claims that some of the world's largest ISPs knowingly do business with spammers in violation of stated anti-spam policies. [CNET.com]
PSINet cans spammer, pledges reforms
Attempting to distance itself from a spam controversy, PSINet cut off service to an admitted sender of unsolicited commercial email and pledged to amend its spam policy and educate its sales force. [CNET.com]
PSINet caught red-handed with spam contract
Stumbling ISP PSINet has owned up to a contract with a sender of bulk unsolicited commercial email - known to you and me as spam. It has long been a suspicion that some ISPs have had illicit contracts with spammers, despite a publicly stated policy against such practices. [The Register]
Registrar Sues for Whois Spam
A domain name registrar has filed suit against a firm it claims illegally used its customer contact information in an aggressive marketing campaign of unsolicited email and phone calls. [Wired]
Report: E-Mail Marketing To Reach $7.3B by 2005
Jupiter Communications released a report on Monday predicting that worldwide direct e-mail marketing will balloon from $164 million (US$) in 1999 to $7.3 billion in 2005. [E-Commerce Times]
Report: E-Mail Taking Hold as E-Commerce Tool
A survey released this week by Forrester Research, Inc. reports that e-tailers are now using electronic mail as a major means of generating repeat business from customers. [E-Commerce Times]
Setting Limits for 'Whois' Data
A dispute between a domain name registrar and a Web hosting company could set legal limits on accessing and using personal information on Internet whois databases. [Wired]
Slamming the Door on Spam
A group of large email marketing companies proposed a detailed set of privacy standards Monday, hoping the measures will amount to a sort of "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" for Internet direct advertisers. [Wired]
Spam Strikes Back
Do marketers have the right to flood the e-mail boxes of unsuspecting Internet users with unwanted e-mail, otherwise known as spam? One Washington state judge has effectively said yes -- and has sparked an instant debate about the constitutionality of laws that limit the use of spam. [E-Commerce Times]
Spam Warfare
Blacklists, lawsuits, hate sites. Bulk e-mail is never a dull business. [Forbes]
Spam Wars Escalate in Round Two
Attorney Pete Wellborn obtains Global Restraining Order against spammer Benchmark Print Supply, and seeks contempt sanctions. If successful this case will close down one of the most prolific US spammers. [PR Newswire]
Spam? Not us, says 24/7
A US District Court in Denver has issued a temporary restraining order on behalf of online marketing gurus, 24/7, against the Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS). [The Register]
Spammer Pays Up at EBay
ReverseAuction has agreed to pay $1.2 million and to quit harvesting emails from eBay's site as part of a settlement agreement. [Wired]
Spammers Forced to Tell the Truth
A Colorado legislative committee has passed a bill that would require spammers to tag unsolicited email with a special subject line. [Wired]
Spamming Out the Vote
As the tightest presidential campaign in 40 years enters its final weeks, both the Democratic and Republican national committees are using any and all means to drum up support -- including mass email campaigns. [Wired]
Study finds filters catch only a fraction of spam
Spam filters used by some popular Internet email providers weed out only a fraction of the junk they're supposed to but almost never bounce legitimate messages, according to a new study. [CNET.com]
The Basics - 5 biggest threats to your privacy onl
Here's how to beat the hackers, snoops and spammers who want to damage your computer, steal your personal data or send you another batch of junk e-mail. [MSN MoneyCentral]
The Congressman Who Loves Spam
H.R. 3113, which would fine spammers $500 for each piece of unsolicited junk email they send, would have passed unanimously were it not for the representative known throughout the House as "Dr. No." [Wired]
U.S. House Approves Anti-Spam Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives voted almost unanimously Tuesday that spam should be unlawful. [E-Commerce Times]
Verio's Alleged Spam is Temporarily Canned
In a case where a U.S. District Court is upholding a registrar's right to protect people listed in its database, register.com Inc. won a preliminary injunction against Verio Inc. preventing the Web hosting company from mercilessly spamming its customers. [InternetNews]
Verizon digs out from spam blizzard
Major American ISP and Gargantuan telecomms generalist Verizon was deluged with so much spam last week that its servers were unable to function at times, and left customers with something like a 24-hour e-mail delivery delay. [The Register]
Verizon Online Users' E-Mail Problems Persist
More than a week after its network buckled under a torrent of junk e-mail, and two days after the company vowed to fully restore service, customers of Verizon Communications Inc. yesterday continued to suffer severe problems exchanging messages over the Internet. [Washington Post]
Viral marketing goes one step too far
Article about the "viral marketing" technique used by AllAdvantage.com. [InfoWorld]
When You Send Spam to Yourself
Carl Toups usually doesn't blink at unsolicited junk mail in his Hotmail account, but a piece of spam recently caught his eye. [Wired]