RE: [Asrg] Another criteria for "what is spam"...

> From: "Peter Kay" <peter@titankey.com>

> ...
> A definition of UNSOLICITED, I believe, is the core of the issue and the
> problem, primarily because it will force us to address the eye of the
> storm: 
>
> is Internet email inherently trusted or is it untrusted?
>
> Is email considered unsolicited until the recipient decides it is
> solicited? Or is it considered solicited until the recipient decides it
> is unsolicited?
>
> I think this is the big question, ladies.

I trust you are not supporting the parts of those definitions that
are from the equivelants of thieves trying to warp the definition of
burglary to give them permission to be be anywhere and so always
innocent.  Spammers and organizations that would send a lot of spam
if it did not have its current stench define solicited as "until you
do a confirmed opt-out, and then only for a few months."

The rest of us who could qualify as reasonable persons in court know
that "unsolicited" means just that.  If you didn't ask for it, then
it's unsolicited.  If you did ask for it, then it's solicited.  A
stream of solicited mail becomes unsolicited after the change is
communicated to the sender.  That certainly does not imply that you
can unsubscribe from a mailing list by screaming "SPAM!" as some people
do.  It also does not imply that Dell Computers or Verisign can assume
that despite your clear instructions, you want to know about important
offers.  (Dell or Verisign are merely the first two outfits came to
mind as having sent significant bulk mail advertising in my direction
despite being explicitly told not to.)

> ...
> But because the Internet went commercial, suddenly SMTP found itself in
> an environment where email (IMHO) is inherently untrusted.  And spam is
> what you get when you put a protocol meant for scholars and scientists
> in the hands of capitalists.

There are big differences between capitalists who in principle can
understand enlightened self-interest and the tragedy of the commons
and parasites that claim a right to steal from their sales targets.

Note that the Internet was in the hands of capitalists for almost as
many years before email spam became a problem as it has been since
spam became noticable.

Vernon Schryver    vjs@rhyolite.com
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