SPAM Laws of 2001 by A.T.Rendon

SPAM Laws of 2001 by A.T.Rendon

For a law to take effect on the U.S. federal level, both the House
and the Senate must pass the bill and then the President of
the United States must sign the bill into law.

Last year we almost got a SPAM law on the books when House
legislators approved their version of the SPAM bill, H. R. 3113,
the "The Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2000",
with a vote of 427-1.

However, it never came close to becoming law because the
Senate never even voted on it.

This year, there are already several attempts being made to
place SPAM under the law.

The most recognized is known as bill HR 95, which is a
re-introduction of H. R. 3113 from last year and is named:
"To protect individuals, families, and Internet service
providers from unsolicited and unwanted electronic mail."
http:/ homas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.00095:

A SUMMARY AS OF:
1/3/2001--Introduced.

"Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2001 -
Amends the Federal criminal code to provide criminal
penalties for intentionally initiating the transmission
of any unsolicited commercial electronic mail message
(message) to a protected computer in the United States
with the knowledge that any domain name or other
initiator identifying information contained in or
accompanying such message is false or inaccurate.

Prohibits any person from sending such a message
unless the message contains a valid e-mail address,
conspicuously displayed, to which a recipient may
send notice of a desire not to receive further messages.

Makes it unlawful for a person to initiate the transmission
of such a message in violation of a policy regarding unsolicited
commercial e-mail messages that complies with specified
requirements, including requirements for notice and public
availability of such policy and for an opportunity for
subscribers to opt not receive such messages.

Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to notify violators
under this Act, to prohibit further initiation of such messages,
and to require the initiator to delete the names and e-mail
addresses of the recipients and providers from all mailing lists.

Provides a right of action by a recipient or provider against
e-mail initiators who violate the above requirements. "

As bill HR 95 stands right now, it is not expected to
pass vote in the House for two reasons, even though the
language of the bill is exactly the same as that passed
last year in a vote of 427-1:

First, because of the language that allows for a one-time
email to be sent so long as a valid return email address
is provided by the sender and the sender removes anyone
the so requests to be removed from that mailing list.

Although this is the same exact language that was included
in the bill that passed the House last year, many SPAM
fanatics are raising objections to its' inclusion in the
bill this year.

Second, is the language in the last paragraph that would allow
a "right of action by a recipient or provider", the problem being
that the law would allow Internet Service Providers, ISP's, to
file for monetary damages against spammers to the tune of
$500 per email sent or $50,000 per mailing incident.

Opponents argue that ISP's would be filing against anyone that
might be accused of SPAM, guilty or not, in hopes of reaping
big financial gains.

Considering how SPAM compalints are often handled these
days with innocent people having their services terminated
or web site shut down without even having allegations of
SPAM investigated, perhaps there is reason for such fears
of abuse.

A search of both the Senate, http://www.senate.gov/ and the
House, http:/ homas.loc.gov/ found only the following under
The keyword "Spam":

Two other bills introduced in the House are:

1. Wireless Telephone Spam Protection Act - H.R.113 :
http:/ homas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:1:. emp/~c107WLOF59::

2. Anti-Spamming Act of 2001 - H.R. 1017:
This Act may be cited as the `Anti-Spamming Act of 2001'
http:/ homas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:2:. emp/~c107WLOF59::

Rep. Gene Green, from the 29th District in Texas and
is the sponsor of HR 95, so if you wish to make any
suggestions or comments on the proposed Spam Law,
he can be reached by any of the following:

HON. GENE GREEN
2335 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-1688
Fax: (202) 225-9903

HON. GENE GREEN
256 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. E., Suite 29
Houston, TX 77060
(281) 999-5879
Fax: (281) 999-5716

If you would like to send him an email, you may do so
by visiting his official web site at: http://www.house.gov/green/
and filling out the supplied form.
About the Author
A.T.Rendon is an entrepreneur and published writer.
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Caught In the Cross-Fire of the Spam War by Bill Platt

Caught In the Cross-Fire of the Spam War by Bill Platt

LET THERE BE LIGHT: To understand this story, we must return
to the beginning --- September 5th, 2001. One of my associates
had placed a free ad in a newsletter that she had just
subscribed to. For that effort, she was accused of spam! Mind
you the person filing the complaint was not the editor of the
newsletter, but rather a subscriber of the newsletter.

The man was frustrated because he was having difficulty getting
unsubscribed from the newsletter, so he filed a complaint
against everyone who was listed in the body of the message,
rather than just the list owner. It was his frustration,
anger and ignorance that fueled this nasty little affair.

My friend lives in a very small town in Canada that has only one
ISP. The Upline Provider for the local ISP was demanding her
account to be turned off permanently because of this accusation
which was later dropped. The local ISP stood their ground on
behalf of their customer --- my friend --- though this action
could have seriously hampered their ability to provide their
customers with Internet access.

Even in dropping his claim against my friend, the person who
filed the complaint insisted that my friend was somehow still
responsible for his inability to unsubscribe from the newsletter
in question!

The person who filed this complaint was using a system designed
by programmer Julian Haight to combat spam email called
SpamCops.net.

INTO THE PIT: In my original copy written September 10th, I had
compared the tactics of the few diehard SpamCop anti-spammers
to the tactics of a terrorist.

In the wake of September 11th, it did not seem appropriate to
refer to the SpamCop fanatics as terrorists. However closely
the tactics used by the SpamCop fanatics coincides with the
tactics used by the al-Qaida terrorist network led by Osama
bin Laden, SpamCop does not resort to murder.

Due to SpamCop.net's unwillingness to provide a real person
contact for the resolution of complaints, I was forced to turn
to their discussion board to find the resolution I was seeking
--- a resolution, which by the way, was never found.

My major complaint was that for someone to file against another
simply because their email address or website appeared in
someone else's ezine was improper.

Many members had knee jerk reactions to my questioning their
system from within their inner sanctum. Many resorted to name
calling and angry retort until a list administrator called them
down. After the list administrator directly addressed their
inappropriate comments, I received three open apologies from
members of the group.

PUBLISHERS BEWARE. Over the course of the next few days, I
watched their discussions. I was appalled to learn that many
of them put email addresses in circulation just so that they
can torment others with spam accusations.

As an owner of several discussion lists and newsletters, I now
make it a standard policy to bar participation in my groups by
someone sporting a SpamCop.net email address.

I had tried to observe their group with an open mind, as I too
find spam mail to be annoying. I receive nearly 50 pieces a
day from four to five people, who send me the same ads day
after day. What is really annoying is they send the spam to
my autoresponders with a fake address, so I get another 50
messages a day telling me that I used an invalid email address
in my autoresponder message. All have spidered my website to
get the email addresses.

A SPAMCOP SPEAKS. In all fairness, I was leaning towards a
semi-favorable opinion of the SpamCop program until "Jerry"
lashed out.

In his message, Jerry told me things which will just make you
want to explode in frustration.

He said of the innocent who get caught in the cross-fire of the
spam wars: "They should stay home."

He went on to say, "it is far better for thousands of innocents
to burn in Hell than one spammer prevail."

And, "Truth, Justice, and the American Way - or lack thereof -
is irrelevant. Spammers must believe there are no loopholes, no
gray areas, that the righteous will be sacrificed (in vast
numbers if need be) in order to expunge the evildoers."

In conclusion, it was stated, "Spam, like the one true faith,
is in the eye of the beholder. Again, if it looks like a bird,
it might be a duck. Better the condor dies than risk a quack."

These of course are just excerpts. If you would care to read
his entire message to me, you may do so at the bottom of this
page:

http://shopmystate.com/niba/BillP.html

NO SAFE HAVEN: On two occasions, I have found myself squarely
in the cross-hairs of the radicals or the angry that wear the
shield of SpamCop. I publish articles for free-reprint on the
web --- much as this article has come to you today.

The SpamCop's suggested that I was hiding behind the free-
reprint rights connected to my articles. They suggested that
I was encouraging spam by making my work available to be
published by anyone. In response to their suggestions that I
am the enemy, I have added one term to my Terms of Reprint:

* You may not use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial
Email). Email distribution of this article must be opt-in
email only.

Despite this step, I have been accused of spam twice because my
article appeared in a newsletter that a complaint was lodged
against. In both cases, the SpamCop member did not file a
complaint against the person who was responsible for the
newsletter --- they filed against everyone who was in the body
of the email.

Their complaint was received by the editor of the newsletter,
the article writers, the advertisers, and anyone who was
fortunate enough to be mentioned in the resources section or
the Letters to the Editor. We each had our ISP and Upline
Providers contacted if our email address appeared in the
body of the newsletter and our webhosts contacted if our
domain appeared within the body of the newsletter.

The only way I can completely avoid spam complaints against my
domains is to stop writing altogether. I am a writer. That is
what writers do, we write. To please the SpamCop's, I must quit
being a writer or just "stay home."

POLICING THE POLICE. This is silly. If we cannot trust the cops
to make sure they nab the right person, who can we trust?

There is in fact a movement afoot to bring SpamCop down called
"Arresting SpamCop":

http://www.niba.shopmystate.com/

While some of the SpamCop members are simply tired of the
same kinds of spam that irritates us, there are others within
the movement who have an axe to grind with everyone who crosses
their path.

To suggest to a SpamCop member that folks should be trained in
the nuances of who to complain against in a complaint, you can
expect a reply like this. "Jerry" answered my suggestion
precisely this way:

"SpamCop users are literate, intelligent, virtually all college
educated, well-versed in spam, and are more computer-savvy than
99% of the world's population. It is presumptuous and arrogant
in the extreme to imply they need a Learning Annex class to
detect spam."

The question I have is to whom the term "arrogant" should be
applied?

This is what my webhost said about my last SpamCop spam
complaint, "As far as I know spam is generally considered to be
high volume unsolicited email. So, as long as you are not doing
that then I am not sure why it would be called spam."

CONCLUSION: While the anti-spammers rail on the ugliness of
spam, it seems they are perfectly willing and likely prefer
that the only people permitted to send email should be those
they directly give permission to.

Personally, I find the practices of the radicals of SpamCop to
be more offensive than the activities of the spammers. It is a
terrible thing to say, I know, but the spammers simply irritate
me and the SpamCop fanatics try to oppress my activities.

Osama bin Laden brought external terrorism to the United States
on September 11th, 2001. But the truth is that terrorists have
long existed in our country on our own soil, and great numbers
of them proudly were the shield of SpamCop.

We all must make a choice, do we "stay home" or do we fight the
oppressors who seek to diminish our freedom.
About the Author
Bill Platt is the owner of http://ThePhantomWriters.com .
Consider employing our team of professional wordsmiths to weave
articles developed to reach your target market. We can help put
your business on the road to Internet success, with custom,
ghosted articles that will drive targeted and motivated buyers
to your domain for years to come.

WANT TO HIT A SPAMCOP HARD? by Bob McElwain

WANT TO HIT A SPAMCOP HARD? by Bob McElwain

In the film, "Cool Hand Luke," the vicious, sadistic prison
warden was fond of saying, "What we have here is a failure to
communicate." In the end, prisoner Paul Newman came to
"understand" the true meaning of this comment.

A while back, a friend of mine copied a message to me that
had been sent to a list of SpamCops and others. I was the
object of the exercise to come. The subject line was, "We have
another list owner here that [sic] needs to be educated."

Not much difference in the two statements, actually, for
"educated" in this context means "business destroyed."

The Source Of This "Complaint"

I had distributed a brief article advising against requiring
confirmation of subscription requests. In it, I described the
results of two attempts at using them. In the first trial, 40%
of new subscribers did not confirm. In the second, a longer
trial, 37% failed to confirm.

I can't be certain this article triggered action, for I was
never informed. But it was appended to the message received as
mentioned above. It appears I was added to the "get-him" list
because I recommend against requesting confirmation.

Radicalism Is Rising In Popularity

Sure, we've had some bad times in this country. When
Senator Joe McCarthy got you up to the stand, you were guilty
before you sat down. Since the early 80s, there has been an
awesome increase in small, organized, targeted extremist groups
which cram their views right down your throat.

Never mind they ignore your rights in doing so. Never mind
you may be seriously hurt, even destroyed, by their unilateral
actions. Never mind they make the judgement of your guilt in
a manner you can not contest. You are guilty. Period.

In "True Believer," Eric Hoffer years back clearly pointed
out the dangers of such groups to democracy as we know it. His
concerns have proved to be justified, as have his predictions
about such groups significantly reducing individual freedom
over time.

SpamCops In Perspective

To put SpamCops into this category is absurd. They are
trivial. They hide behind false names, as others have done for
centuries behind masks and robes. They violate the very rules
they claim to espouse. Compared to other forces at work in this
country, SpamCops and like minded people offer only a gnat sized
threat in a hawk-filled sky.

With one real exception. On a single unjustified and
unsupported claim, a webmaster can find his ISP and website shut
down without prior notice. And without recourse. For a small
business just making it, this can amount to the "straw" that
brings total collapse.

Small business people are the target. And SpamCops have
been effective at doing vicious damage to many. The nature
of the vicarious thrill they get in doing so escapes me.

This is real power. And it appears to be used for its
own sake. In all else, SpamCops are utter failures.

Impotent Phonies

They are powerless to prevent real spam. The junk overflows
our mailboxes, and we stand helpless before it. So do SpamCops.
They can't shut down an ISP or a host owned by spammers. Or
those they sell their lists and services to.

So they've taken a giant step and essentially redefined spam
as anything received you did not request. A target-rich
environment. Requests made, then forgotten, bring messages
called spam.

I was pounded by SpamCops regards an article sent with my
name on it. I pointed out the only way to get that article was
to send an email to an autoresponder address. I was ignored,
of course. Their continuing innuendos and implied threats were
disturbing.

Two Giant Leaps

They took a giant step by taking advantage of specialized
software now available. It scans any document and automatically
sends their "spam" to every URL and email address found.
Fascinating. I'm now a spammer because my work appears in an
ezine they have defined as spam. Nuts. This usually amounts
to someone forgetting they subscribed.

Their latest step is even more absurd. You are now
"spamming"
with a 100% opt-in list if no confirmation is required. What
in the world does confirmation have to do with unsolicited
bulk email?

My thanks-for-subscribing message includes URLs to the
goodies. And a URL that can be clicked to automatically
unsubscribe.

When you open your front door to a knock, do you close
it and require another?

Facts About Subscriber Counts.

You're bound to lose a few list members along the way.
Some choose to unsubscribe. More make a change in their email
address and do not think to subscribe again. Thus you will
inevitably lose membership each month. Possibly 2% of your
list.

So long as the number of new subscribers exceeds the number
lost each month, your list will continue to grow. But try a
confirmation request, and you may find the number of new members
does not replace those lost.

Now explain to me how I'm going to grow a business in such
fashion. And further, explain how SpamCops can decide that a
list that doesn't require confirmation is sending spam. Then
go on and make it clear just what SpamCops intends to accomplish
with this demand. I don't think they know. They simply delight
in hurting people.

So What's Next On The Agenda

Right. You guessed it. Content. If SpamCops can make
confirmation indirectly the "law," what's to prevent them from
judging the content of a given newsletter as unsuitable, and
thus spam? Maybe a piece such as this one directed at the evil
done by such a rag-tag bunch of low-lifes.

A scary thought to me. This would open a whole new world
of opportunity to destroy helpless individuals.

Fighting Back

Don't even think about it. If you are attacked by SpamCops,
respond minimally and politely as required, and get on with your
business.

These people absolutely thrive on conflict. They glow with
inner "strength" in the heat of battle. They can amass an array
of other right-thinkers against you.

Forget it, for it's a battle you can not win. It is
impossible to reason with irrationality.

Hitting Where It Hurts

However, you can now hit back. And in the right place.
Their pocket book.

In a recent issue of her ezine, "The iCop Whistle Blower,"
jl scott offered a neat piece about the
absurdities of SpamCops. She wrapped with a positive and
powerful suggestion. I want to do the same here.

Serious minded people are joining in a class action suit
against these people. You can contribute information or choose
to participate. Here are some key links.

Victim Form - Explain How You've Been Hurt


Notes about how this all got started


Keep up on what is happening


In Closing ...

Here's a comment from jl scott. "I salute the people who
are determined to organize this class action suit. Clearly, if
we don't do it ourselves, these wild-eyed lunatics will continue
to hurt decent and ethical businesses."

I applaud her stand. Come join in; the water's fine.
About the Author
Bob McElwain, author of "Your Path To Success."
How to build ANY business you want, just the
way you want it, with only pocket money.

What Happens To The Spammer? by Richard Lowe

What Happens To The Spammer? by Richard Lowe

Sometimes it's difficult to understand why spamming is considered
one of the most vile sins on the internet. After all, what harm
does an extra email or two cause? And even if the spammer is
reported or caught, who cares? I mean, what happens to a spammer
anyway?

We've all heard people say, "well, why not just hit the delete
key?" I used to take the time to try and explain the problem to
these people, but I've since realized that there is a brand of
ignorance which cannot be penetrated by reason or logic. Now I
just nod and smile, and change the subject.

Spam would not be so bad if it was just one or two emails now and
then. Unfortunately, it's not just one person sending an
unsolicited advertisement once a month - it's hundreds or even
thousands. And the emails are virtually always regarding some
scam, a useless product or, very often, some pornographic or
money making scheme. I've received tens of thousands of spam
emails over the years, and not once has any of them ever been of
value.

I don't understand why spammers don't get the message that their
emails are unwanted. Why do they keep sending out their useless
advertisements? Do people actually purchase anything from them?
Do these people really make money?

Okay, so what happens to spammers anyway?

Your amateur spammer must feel very much like a criminal does.
You see, they must hide their identities in any number of devious
ways to prevent their ISP and web hosts from shutting them down.
New laws are being passed which make these people into real
criminals, making it even more important that they remain hidden.

1) When an ISP or web host begins receiving dozens of spam reports
on someone using their services, they will typically cancel first
and ask questions later. Thus, your average spammer is constantly
losing his hosting services and always searching for another ISP.
He has to - he keeps getting kicked out when his misdeeds is
discovered.

2) Spammers, if they can be identified, can be sued. This is
fairly rare, as it is difficult to prove actual damage, but you
can sue them and win. And if you are an ISP or host, you can
definitely get them to dig into their pockets for the resources
they wasted.

3) If a spammer annoys the wrong person, he could find himself
harassed. For example, people have been known to send back email
bombs, perform denial of service attacks or simply get phone
lines canceled.

4) If a spammer gets his domain added to any of the various
"black holes", then he may find that he cannot send email at all.

5) Depending upon how vile the material, the law can come down
upon a spammer. This is especially true with scams and
pornography of the most degraded kind.

6) Most spammers do not realize there is always a way to find out
where the email came from. It does not matter how well they
attempt to cover their tracks - they do need to make it possible
to order something and thus they can be tracked - even if it
means physically visiting their business with a search warrant.

I hope that helps clarify what happens to the spammer in the
short or long run. Spam does cause damage, and spammers,
especially the largest and worst offenders, should be prosecuted
to the fullest extent of the law.


About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets
at http://www.internet-tips.net - Visit our website any time to
read over 1,000 complete FREE articles about how to improve your
internet profits, enjoyment and knowledge.

"Can The Spam!" by A.T.Rendon

"Can The Spam!" by A.T.Rendon

Many of you were very concerned at the enormous increase
in junk email, estimated to have grown about 42% during 2001,
and the seemingly non-stop invasion of X-rated email.

Analysts predict that the volume of email on the Internet,
most of it junk, will grow another 50 percent in 2002.

That is a lot of email!

With estimates that the number of Internet users is nearing
the 1 billion mark, the amount of email floating around the
Internet is only going to get worse.

Many of you have asked if there is any sure-fire cure for all this
junk email that we receive right now and any more that may
appear this year.

The short answer - Yes.

Make good use of your delete button! :-)

The long answer is - No.

No, there is no 100 percent cure for the spam that plagues us
all, X-rated or not. But there are several ways to try and alleviate
this problem.

Most email programs, including Microsoft's Outlook Express, have
custom filtering features that are built into the program but which
are, more often than not, very much unused.

The big problem in using ANY email filter system is that
they may cause blocking of legitimate email.

Basically, you can set up filters to remove email that comes
from a specific email address or set it up to block email
which contains certain key words in either the Subject section
or in the Body of the message.

Netscape Communicator 4.0 or later also have filtering ability
but Netscape Navigator does not have filtering ability. And
Eudora 3.0 and above can also filter your email.

Filtering will not eliminate all spam email but it can make your
life on the Internet just a bit easier.

Just keep in mind that filters are a constant, ongoing process.
Spammers are always changing strategy to keep ahead of the
Filters or other Spam Blocking software.

Here are a few of the most popular email management tools:

SpamKiller by Novasoft
http://www.spamkiller.com/
Free 30 day trial. $29.95 w/free upgrades.

Spam Buster by Contact Plus Corporation
http://www.contactplus.com/products/spam/spam.htm
Free download for evaluation. $19.95 for registered version.

Brightmail
http://www.brightmail.com/
Considered one of the best, if not the top filtering program.

Elron Software
http://www.elronsw.com/
Internet filtering software. Free trial downloads.

Mailshell
http://www.mailshell.com/
Free 30-day trial. $29.95 per year. Use unlimited email addresses.

Once you decide how you want to approach this problem, then
it is just a matter of keeping tabs on your email and making
adjustments to block future changes that spammers might make.

Keeping on top of this will allow you to can the majority of
the SPAM that is now finding it's way into your in-box.
About the Author
A.T.Rendon is an entrepreneur and published writer.
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Shortcuts To Control Terroristic Email! by A. T. Rendon

Shortcuts To Control Terroristic Email! by A. T. Rendon

Everyone agrees that SPAM is a growing problem
on the Internet. And with estimates that we will
soon have over 1 billion people worldwide surfing
the net, this problem will only continue to grow worse.

The worst part of this situation is that spammers
are very clever people and they are using all of
their knowledge to get their message onto our
desktops whether we want it or not.

For example, this week hidden among all of my
usual get-rich quick schemes and penis enlargement
information was an email from a porn site that
literally took control of my desktop.

As soon as the email message was highlighted in
my Outlook Express window, it launched a web page
that took up the entire screen of my computer.

There it was on my 21" monitor, for the whole world
to see it if they were looking over my shoulder, a
lusty, busty women crouched on her knees with
her arms pressing together her breasts to overly
exaggerate the obvious and her legs spread so far
apart you could see her most intimate body parts
in all of their powder pink glory.

I am a man with a healthy love for women but I
do not appreciate having this sort of thing forced
on me because someone wants me to give them
my money in exchange for pornographic pictures.

As far as I am concerned, these are "Terroristic Tactics".

My computer and I were held hostage by the use of
HTML source code that includes script language
that launches a window to view their web page.

Worse still, the window is one that takes up the entire
computer screen and does not have the usual buttons
on the upper right hand corner to minimize or close
the window.

And, it might even include the command to keep
popping open even more windows on your desktop
at set intervals that can literally freeze up your computer!

What can you do to fight back?

Whether this problem occurs via reading your email
or if you are trapped into it while visiting a web site,
there are a few things you can do short of ripping the
power cord out of the wall.

First of all, the Federal Trade Commission, FTC,
http://www.ftc.gov/, takes a very dim view of anyone
that tries to force you to view any material you do
not wish to view, be it advertising or pornography.

In a recent action by the Federal Trade Commission, they

"asked a U.S. District Court Judge to halt a Internet scam
that clones everyday Web sites and uses the copycat sites
to barrage unsuspecting consumers with pornography.
According to the agency, the scammers copy existing Web
sites and insert coded instructions in the copycat sites
which automatically redirects unwitting consumers to
adult sites operated by the defendants. Then the scammers
disable the browser's "back" and "exit" commands so that
Internet surfers trying desperately to escape the pornographic
images face screen after screen of similar material and
advertisements for other adult sites."

"These operators high-jacked Web sites, 'kidnapped' consumers
and held them captive," said Jodie Bernstein, Director of the
FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "They exposed surfers,
including children, to the seamiest sort of material and
incapacitated their computers so they couldn't escape.
They copied as many as 25 million Web pages from sites
as diverse as the Harvard Law Review and the Japanese
Friendship Garden. When consumers used search engines
to find subjects as innocent as 'kids on the net,' 'news
about Kosovo,' or 'wedding services,' they risked being
exposed to a torrent of tawdry images. This scam is
outrageous and we want it off the Internet. We're confident
the court will help us arrange that."

The Federal Trade Commission is a powerful regulatory agency
and they will accept complaints from consumers on both SPAM
and also a Web Page or Web Sites that are using deceptive or
terroristic tactics.

You may forward unsolicited commercial e-mail (spam) to the
Commission, by sending it directly to them at:
mailto:UCE@FTC.GOV

I would suggest you not bother them with ordinary run of the
mill SPAM but rather limit your complaints to email like the one
I described above that literally takes control of your computer.

You may also file a complaint with the Commission online by
visiting their web site at: http://www.ftc.gov/

Scroll to the bottom of their web site where you will see the
link to "File A Complaint Online".

On a more immediate basis, it is important to know at least a
few of the handy Windows "Shortcut" commands that
will allow you to regain control of your computer without
the need to shut it down all together.

For a more extensive list of Window's Shortcuts delivered
to you FREE via Auto-Responder, send a blank email to:
mailto:shortcuts@emailexchange.org

Perhaps one of the best commands to know by heart is:
ALT + F4 = Quitting the open program

That command comes in very handy when you have a
window open that takes up your entire screen area and
does not show the customary Minimize/Restore/Close
boxes that are found in the upper right hand corner of all
Window's programs.

Another good one to keep in mind is:
ALT + SPACE = Display of the System Menu that allows
you to Restore-Move-Resize-Minimize-Maximize or Close
a window.

And as a last resort, if nothing else seems to be working,
you can always try:
CTRL + ESC = Opens the Start Menu from which you can
properly shut down your computer.

Until the powers that be take direct action to stop SPAM
at every possible opportunity, we will all have to put
up with the nuisance of deleting junk email from our
inbox. But at least we do not have to tolerate the invasion
of our computer with code meant to make us a hos
About the Author
A.T.Rendon is an entrepreneur and published writer.
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Theft of Services by Bob Osgoodby

Theft of Services by Bob Osgoodby

Spammers will use many tricks in their effort to "ply their
wares". One of the most common is to use someone else's email
address as their return address. Another is to link to images
contained in their email, which are on your web site, illegally
using your bandwidth.

Using a stolen email address as their return address, is becoming
quite common, as some Internet Service Providers are checking to
ensure that the sending address is valid before relaying the
message. They have started doing this due to the "raft of
complaints" received about mail going out with a phony return
address.

The consequences of this can be quite far reaching for the person
whose address has been stolen. This happened to me late last
year. It was a porno ad that was sent out bearing my return
address. I got over 7,000 requests to remove their name from my
mailing list in a 3 day period. Many were quite nasty,
threatening all sorts of things. I called "At Home", who provides
my cable service, to see if there was anything I could do about
it. Their advice was to use a different email address.

Fortunately it was an address that I don't use for business, and
if it was, it would have been far more serious. The real problem
here is not that your ISP will shut you down for spamming, as it
is fairly simple to find out that you didn't send it, regardless
of the return address.

There are three potential problems however, that you may have to
deal with.

The first is the number of "bounces" (bad email addresses that
cannot be delivered). Many ISP's program their servers to shut
down an email account that is getting a large number of bounces,
as it is one of the symptoms of a denial of service attack. If
your bounces exceed a certain number - usually around 500, your
web server may automatically go into a "self protect" mode and
shut down your email address.

If you start receiving many bounce notifications, immediately
notify your ISP of the problem, telling them that someone has
illegally used your return address. If it was an email address
that you use for business, the bad press that you get can be
devastating. You should write a short email explaining what had
happened, and send it to everyone who sends you a complaint.
While this sounds like a Herculean Task if you are getting
thousands, you can use an email package such as Eudora to do this
automatically. You can down load this software from our web site
at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/freebie.htm

Another problem is that you can be quite sure that someone will
report you to "Spam Cop", who in turn places a complaint with
your ISP. Spam Cop may not check the validity of a complaint
prior to notifying your ISP, which I feel is unconscionable on
their part. Unfortunately, if they do forward the complaint to
your ISP, you will have to defend yourself. That is why you
should immediately notify your ISP if this happens. If you have a
copy of the spam, be sure to send it along with your
notification, and also save a copy in case it is needed later.

The second major problem a spammer can cause, is to steal an
image from your web site that they use in their email. If they
send their email in HTML format, and many do, they can actually
link to an image on your web site. They are in effect stealing
your bandwidth. Many web servers have bandwidth limits, which
limit the amount of information you can send and receive each
month. If you exceed that limit, you could be liable for
additional charges from your web space provider.

If they do this to you, your only recourse is to change the name
of the image, displayed on your web site that they are stealing.
Another effective step is to replace the original image that they
are using. Replace it with a notification that the sender of the
email has stolen the image from you, and advise anyone who
receives it not to do business with them. Once you do this,
anyone who receives their spam will receive your warning.

When you get down to the bottom line, even people who send out
emails with forged addresses are stealing. If you receive
hundreds of spam emails a day with no way to have your name
removed from their list, they are using your resources without
your permission. You then have to sort through all this "junk
mail" to find your legitimate email.

Theft of services is a serious problem. Unfortunately, it appears
that the only solution will be through legislation making it
illegal, and provide severe punishments for the guilty parties.


About the Author
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