Schumer Wants to Can Spam

1010 WINS, New York ^ | Apr 28, 2003 | 1010 WINS

[LurkedLongEnough]

(1010 WINS) (NEW YORK) Chuck Schumer wants to can spam.

The Democratic senator plans to introduce legislation imposing penalties on senders of unsolicited bulk e-mail known as spam.

His plan would direct the Federal Trade Commission to allow Internet users to sign up for a "no-spam" list similar to the "no-call" lists established in many states to block telemarketers.

The legislation would also require mass e-mail advertisements to include the notation "ADV" in subject lines.

It would ban computer programs that search the Web to harvest batches of e-mail addresses to be used by spammers.

Violators could be fined $5,000 or more if e-mail users could prove damages caused by the spam.

Jupiter Research has estimated the average e-mail user will receive 1,600 spam messages per year by 2005, up from just 40 in 1999.

[LurkedLongEnough]

This morning, a NYC talk radio host was questioning the funding requirement for implementing and enforcing this proposed law.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

LOL!!! Then Schumer just closed down his own parties propaganda and pop up spam ads on the DNC web page

[Brilliant]

Schumer has perhaps finally found a cause that everyone supports?

[coloradan]

Just you wait. To pay for this effort, I'm sure Chuckie Scumbag will propose taxing the internet. Just you wait.

[stuartcr]

It's just an excuse for getting the ole foot in the door for internet taxing.

[Brilliant]

If so, he's an idiot. Who could take such a popular proposal as this and turn it into a controversy?

[ICE-FLYER]

I will support Chuck Schumer as long as he he puts into this piece of legislation a mandate that all politicians have to pay a 10,000 fine when they lie.

[coloradan]

Why, Chuckie Scumbag could! And thanks for asking!

[mr.pink]

Who could take such a popular proposal as this and turn it into a controversy?

I think you need to seperate two very different issues.

1- everyone hates spam, but...

2- No one other than the Feds support the Feds regulating the Internet.

If they ever got the type of control Chucky's gettin' all exicted about, you'd be paying $.01 per email sent ( to start), and you could wave Buh-bye to sites like this.

[kitkat]

What good will this do? The spammers will just move their businesses offshore where they can't be touched.

[MizSterious]

As has been pointed out by many, these kinds of laws can't even be enforced. I hate spam too, but passing laws against it won't help.

[TaRaRaBoomDeAyGoreLostToday!]

Exactly. And Schumer should ban telemarketing while he is at it, it is no different than spam.

[Centurion2000]

Just you wait. To pay for this effort, I'm sure Chuckie Scumbag will propose taxing the internet. Just you wait.

This is the camel-nose-under-the-tent step of the fed's plan for controlling the Internet.

[KarlInOhio]

If they ever got the type of control Chucky's gettin' all exicted about, you'd be paying $.01 per email sent ( to start), and you could wave Buh-bye to sites like this.

If you tax email, then some more secure private method of using the internet for messaging would be started to avoid the email tax. I would expect that all the main email programs would quickly add the ability to use that method of communication. Chucky would then try to tax that and the cycle will continue.

[KarlInOhio]

What good will this do? The spammers will just move their businesses offshore where they can't be touched.

Well then the U.N. would just have to tax the internet (with only a small part skimmed off by Kofi and friends). It's all for the children.

[stuartcr]

This for generating internet revenue, and homeland defense for controlling internet content.

[mr.pink]

If you tax email, then some more secure private method of using the internet for messaging would be started to avoid the email tax.

Once Uncle Sam gets email regulatory power, doing what you suggest (private methods non intra-net) would be as illegal as trying to send a letter with a hand drwawn stamp.

I wish the Internet consortiums would try very hard to self regulate this major problem before the Feds get the excuse to do what their drooling over having the chance to do.

As IMHO, the biggest problem is unwanted porno-spam. I'd like to see the web extensions ".xxx" and ".adu" adopted for all adult/porno content sites (easily blocked if one chooses to block). Allow the owners to keep their ".com" extensions, but use those only to redirect.

That opinion, plus $1.48, will get you a ride on the NYC subway. ;o)

[strela]

By "requiring" spammers to honor no-spam lists and put "ADV" in the subject line, Schumer legitimizes the concept of spammers sending me unwanted emails in the first place, and essentially demands that I turn over the use of my personal property (my email box and the bandwidth that I pay for) to spamming scumbags who "follow the rules."

This legislation is completely unenforceable (many spammers rape open relays, run web spiders, and send their crap from servers based in China/Brazil/The Philippines, none of who are subject to US law). Rare is the spam that I receive from a CONUS-based ISP any more.

Violators could be fined $5,000 or more if e-mail users could prove damages caused by the spam.

What sort of "damages" is he talking about? One drop of rain is a slightly dampened shirt, billions of drops of rain drowned all life on Earth except the crew and passengers aboard Noah's Ark.

Stupid, feel-good non-legislation from somebody who simply wants to get the government camel's nose in the tent of "regulating the Internet." Schumer is a dangerous idiot.

[Brilliant]

Let the hackers loose on 'em.

[6ppc]

The spammers will just move their businesses offshore where they can't be touched.

True, but it's easy to filter out non-US senders in your email.