SpamCop Vigilantism

The following is a note I received from an advertiser after he got a SPAM warning from a Spam Vigilante. Note that his service is a SPAM Filtering Service! Mike, Do you know what this means, and how it happened? Joe ----- Original Message ----- From: <82451690@reports.spamcop.net> To: Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 7:18 PM Subject: [SpamCop (http://spamfilter.website101.com) id:82451690] [Astrology.ca] May 25 Horoscope > - SpamCop V1.3.3 - > This message is brief for your comfort. Please follow links for details. The following note come from the VIGILANTE via SpamCop > > I never signed up for this! Send CONFIRMATION emails BEFORE mindlessly signing people up to prevent unauthorized signups! > My response to my list advertiser is next Joe, You have just become the latest victim of spam vigilantism by a SpamCop member. It is a hate crime practiced by folks with little else to do but chase phantom criminals because they are so annoyed by REAL spammers. I guess you can't blame them since that is what obviates the SpamFilter Service you provide. I have written previous articles on the absolute stupidity of this vicious circle. You provide a valuable service with SpamFilter which is intended to stop spam directly. SpamCop thrives, in part, because your very worthwhile SpamFilter service is so necessary. I only wish more people would use SpamFilter and fewer used SpamCop. Here is the usual course of events, Joe. I host a daily horoscope list that goes to 4500 people. Many times enthusiastic astrology list subscribers sign up friends and relatives without their permission, to share a particular horoscope with them. It's the biggest drawback to hosting that list. But I keep all subscription requests and can prove them. I've had run-ins with SpamCop before and they know about my list and that there are occasional complaints due to those unrequested sign-ups to the list by over enthusiastic friends and relatives. As you can see, I am advertising SpamFilter in that daily horoscope and when a complaint goes to spamcop, their mindless automated system sends to every domain listed in the email. I've had trouble with it before and have a section in the SpamFilter folder discussing it. Note the links to SpamCops Abuses and the multiple articles from other victims of the so-called service. Most of us are list hosts or have our own newsletters. Read the articles I have posted. http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spamcop.net.html http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spamcops.html http://website101.com/SpamFilter/spammer_spamming.html All that is required is to notify everyone involved of the likely cause, that is friends signing up others without permission. I even directly ask people NOT to sign up others to avoid this trouble. But when it does happen, I always notify my web host, the list host and any advertisers in the list and it's becoming routine, unfortunately, because of how SpamCop works -- or I should say, doesn't work. That is the reason I like your SpamFilter service so much. It removes the crap to allow me more time to deal with real issues. SpamCop is a real issue and I tire of the vigilantes involved with them. Unfortunately, it seems not to go away, no matter how many list owners are attacked this way. I'm sending a copy of this to my Web Host, my List Host, to SpamCop, to you and to other advertisers, so that everyone is aware of the stupidity involved and doesn't take the matter too far. I'll be posting a copy of this in the SpamFilter article file as well to further illustrate the vigilante nature of SpamCop members. Makes me think of lynchings and other hate crimes when people do this. Talk about knee-jerk reactions. Notice that the complainer is masked by SpamCop? They complain anonymously and it's not possible to respond to them, even when you would like to explain it to them. Neither can you unsubscribe the complainer. Usually they just continue to complain and you must continue to defend yourself so your host doesn't take action against you, your list or your site. In this case I can prove the person is subscribed, and if they did the complaining directly to me, I could show them the subscription and the IP address of the person that subscribed them. But they string up the noose and attempt to hang the object of their wrath, even if they ought to be stringing up the friend or relative that subscribed them to the list without their permission. Note also that there is a plainly visible and always available UNSUBSCRIBE link at the bottom of the list. They don't unsubscribe, they would rather complain than to take direct action. It's all really very absurd. Mike Banks Valentine Joe wrote: Mike, Do you know what this means, and how it happened. Joe ----- Original Message ----- From: <82451690@reports.spamcop.net> To: Sent: Friday, May 24, 2002 7:18 PM Subject: [SpamCop (http://spamfilter.website101.com) id:82451690] [Astrology.ca] May 25 Horoscope > - SpamCop V1.3.3 - > This message is brief for your comfort. Please follow links for > >details. > >I never signed up for this! Send CONFIRMATION emails BEFORE > >mindlessly signing people up to prevent unauthorized signups! > > http://spamcop.net/w3m?i=z82451690z7ace8a3499a4c 47e3d2714d14424bca0z > Spamvertised website: http://spamfilter.website101.com > > http://spamfilter.website101.com is 66.216.72.170; Sat, 25 May 2002 03:34:38 GMT The following is a copy of the daily horoscope list that I host that was falsely accused of spamming by someone that was signed up by a usually well-meaning friend who simply wants to share a horoscope they think has particular meaning for their friend or relative. I don't condone this, and I wish that subscribers wouldn't do it, but it is rather harmless, isn't it? Notice the advertisers (who also get spam notices from SpamCops.) > > AstrologySender.com presents Horoscopes Daily > Brandi Jasmine, Editor > >