Re: Junk mail and rotting web (SPAM)

Michael S. Lorrey (retroman@together.net)
Mon, 01 Feb 1999 18:22:39 -0500

hal@rain.org wrote:

> Michael S. Lorrey, <retroman@together.net>, writes:
> > Using automated systems to mine the net of email addresses of people you do
> > not know and have never indicated an interest in knowing you or anybody like
> > you, your company, or your product, nor has indicated any interest in your
> > customers products is already illegal, it just hasn't been tested yet in
> > court. All someone has to do is apply the old mail and wire tampering, fraud,
> > and harassment laws to data miners and spammers.
>
> Really? Then I guess I should go to prison. Recently I saw
a reference
> to an interesting-sounding crypto paper published earlier this year,
> but I couldn't find the paper on the web. I sent unsolicited email to
> the author asking if he would mind sending me a copy. He did not know
> me, he has never indicated any interest in knowing me or anyone like me,
> or my company, or my product, or my customer's products. From what you
> say, what I did is illegal and I should go to prison.
>
> No doubt many more people will end up in the same boat if we continue to
> criminalize behavior as some people are suggesting.

Since you were interested in his product, it is obviously not an offense. Get a clue.

Mike