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 Category :: Spam |
Author :: Stephen Brennan  |
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| Article Title :: Fighting Fire With Fire Won't Douse The Fire |
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In the last few weeks, I have noticed an increase in tools or
methods devised exclusively to fight the Spam fight. I applaud
the originators ideals and their ingenuity, but I must voice my
concern about the way in which such concepts can often backfire,
sometimes in the nastiest of ways.
I abhor spam. I hate it with a vengeance and would do ALMOST
anything to rid the Internet of it entirely. The worldwide
financial consequences alone run into billions of dollars
annually.It is comparable to the disruption that the propagation
of viruses causes and is responsible for creating a completely
independent niche market for the sale of tools and software
programs designed simply to combat it. Although, I would imagine
that even those engaged in this area of marketing would also
welcome it's demise, however unlikely it might seem at the
moment.
The latest is a web page that we are all being asked to link to
which, as I understand it, will result in the email addresses
listed on that page, which are 'known' spam originating
addresses, being inundated with so much spam, generated by their
own 'spiders' (entities which crawl the Net looking for email
addresses) that their data will be effectively useless due to
the spider being effectively sent on an endless 'loop'. A simple
but brilliant little idea - But is it safe?
What if an innocent email address should find it's way onto that
web page? What if one is maliciously placed there? Does that
email address get caught up in the vicious circle of unsolicited
email? Maybe not, but even if the method precludes this
particular 'backfire', more to the point, is it right to spam
the 'spammer'? If you rob a thief, doesn't that make YOU a thief
too, regardless?
The fact remains also, there hasn't been a means of stopping
spammers that has worked yet. Will they be somehow able to turn
this idea around and use it against the Internet population?
I can understand the anger, frustration and the sometimes, sheer
desperation that some may feel after having been an especially
badly 'bashed' spam victim, but doesn't this type of 'payback'
solution smack of 'Internet vigilantism' or 'taking the law into
one's own hands' (something that is wrong and dangerous, no
matter how justified and tempting it may seem to be)?
Apart from the obvious 'dragging down to their level' in which
this method results, isn't it illegal? Are the people who have
put together this web page and promoted it's use in danger of
the authorities deciding that they too, are contributing to the
daily plague of spam? I do hope not, as I know their intentions
are based in a sense of fighting a huge, common evil.
I heard that the first 'high profile' case against a spammer in
the U.S., resulting in a hefty jail term, concluded only last
week. I know that the wheels of 'justice' do turn slowly, in
almost everything but I believe the reason for that is so that
mistakes and more injustices do not result.
That is my concern with Internet citizens deciding to, as I
said, take the law into their own hands and perhaps overlooking
where their actions may backfire, or worse, give the spammer an
even more powerful tool with which to assault their victims. I
shudder to think what spammers, especially those who fall victim
to this new idea, might do if they find the identity or email
addresses of the devisor/s of this idea.
We have relatively new laws to deal with spam and it's
perpetrators. As I said, there has been, to my knowledge only
one 'notable' and 'highly publicized' instance of the law at
work, where the Internet community has been able to feel a sense
of 'justice' and, yes......payback, revenge, whatever. Give the
Law a chance.
Again, I do understand the need for action and I know exactly
how people feel about those who would spoil one of the
communication, information and media marvels of this, and the
last century. However, I think we need to, at least, give the
law a chance to make a difference before we even think about
resorting to such means to dissuade spammers from plying their
trade. If to no one else, we owe it to ourselves.
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