[ale] (no subject) SPAM talk...

[Pete Hardie]

ChangingLINKS.com wrote:
> 1. During that time the savvy spammer will simply spend that time slogging 
> email addresses and sending millions of emails There are PLENTY of email 
> addresses out there. 

True.

> 2. Further, the savvy spammer will understand that people who hate spam(and 
> thus obfuscate) are less likely to BUY.

Debatable.  Spammers make money from sales, but they buy addresses form 
harvesters, and they pay by the address, so the harvesters don't care about the 
willingness of the owner to buy spamvertised products.

> 3.  He understands that all of that effort would be wasted collecting 
> sub-standard email addresses. 

Someone else's effort.  Not to forget that the overlap between the virus 
underground and the spam underground allows an Open-Source type of synergy.  I 
don't need to spend all my time figuring out every obsfucation plan - I figure 
one and publicize it to other spammers, and one of them writes another program 
for another type and so on.

> 4. Mr. Savvy would rather avoid the flames that come from emailing spam 
> haters. 

What flames?  I've yet to see a spam with a valid reply-to address.  Hell, I've 
gotten spam supposedly *from* my own address.

> 5. The spammer would probably know that slogging fresh email addresses is 
> likely to result in contacting someone NEW to the internet rather than the 
> battle hardened over-marketed spam hater.

That would only apply to people who put their email up by their own efforts - 
anyone who is on a mailing list or Yahoo Group might have their address 
obfuscated by the list system, totally independent of their willingness to buy 
from spam.

> 6. The industry sells email address CDs and software that goes "with the 
> grain" not against it. If you hate spam - spammers do NOT want to email you.

They don't care - every interview from the mass-mailer types makes it clear that 
they think 'just hit delete' is a full defense.


-- 
Pete Hardie                   |   Goalie, DVSG Dart Team
     posting from, but not     |
     speaking for:             |
Scientific Atlanta, Digital Video Services Group



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