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[ba-unrev-talk] Fwd: Removal Request


I am making this new (to me) approach to spam public.  Common sense has 
taught us NOT to reply to any opportunity to be removed from a spam list 
because that unleashes even new opportunities for spam.  This one demands 
that you reply to be removed, otherwise you will receive spam, which, it 
seems to me, will allow them to pass some litmus test regarding your 
agreement to receive spam.    (01)

Notice, btw, the return address. It's hotpop.com.
Here's what that Website has to say about spam:    (02)

"This web page has been designed to assist HotPOP.com and Internet users in 
tracking unsolicited email. HotPOP.com cosiders unsolicited email (SPAM), 
to be any email not requested by the recipient. The main focus of this web 
page is understanding transmission headers to find the true source of the 
abusive email."    (03)

Go figure...    (04)

It's an arms race out there.    (05)

FWIW:
The Sunday version of the San Jose Mercury News ran this headline on Page 11A:
"Phone companies help telemarkers"
The essence of the story is this:
Some companies, eg. Verizon, offer a service (e.g. $10/month) to block 
telemarketing calls.  Americans pay $2 billion/year to block such calls.
At the same time, the same phone companies (real phone companies named here)    (06)

<MyEmphasis> "sell home phone numbers of the same customers who buy their 
privacy services -- unless they pay a fee to have their numbers 
unlisted."</MyEmphasis>    (07)

Reminds me of the protection services sold by the mafia in times past.    (08)

The phone companies are also making money selling high capacity lines and 
equipment to telemarketers.    (09)

Some rant, huh?    (010)

Well, if the idea is to evolve technologies and mindsets that drive to 
sustainable and profitable futures, then the concept of "perverse 
incentives" needs to be addressed.    (011)

Couple of EURO's for the day.
Jack    (012)


>From: marthagoodman@HotPOP.com
>Reply-To: marthagoodman@HotPOP.com
>To: jackpark@thinkalong.com
>Subject: Removal Request
>Sender: marthagoodman@HotPOP.com
>Date: Wed, 30 Oct 2002 02:33:55 +0100
>
>IN AN EFFORT TO CLEAN UP OUR DATABASE, WE ARE EMAILING YOU THIS NOTICE.
>
>WE PLAN to send you some very important information about an Automated 
>Online Recruiting System and even some notices about a Free Leads 
>Affiliate System.
>
>But before we send you this Free Info about Online Marketing and how to 
>make Monthly Paychecks from home, we want to make sure you are still 
>currently open to such income potential.
>
>IF YOU ARE NOT, then please reply to this message without removing the 
>subject line.
>
>IF YOU ARE....Then simply do nothing. You will receive a new email in a 
>few days with information about this unique offer.
>
>Thank you
>Martha Goodman    (013)

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XML Topic Maps: Creating and Using Topic Maps for the Web.
Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-74960-2.    (014)

http://www.nexist.org/wiki/User0Blog    (015)