The Space Cadet

JOMC 223 - Final Project

ESSAY
The Spam Invasion

ABSTRACT

The Problem
Email has proven to be a wonderful communication technology for the world. However, a dimension of email that is souring our taste buds is spam. Although spam has officially been around since '94, it continues to grow as a problem. Clearly, spam is invasive as it continues to erode email. There’s more - It threatens computer security, encourages fraud, reduces productivity and has psychological aspects. Cost implications related to incremental spam are in most cases, paid for by consumers & businesses. Studies have proven that spam is increasing with origins based in the US, China, then Europe. With these considerations, something has to be implemented. What is in place today is not enough.

Exploring
To truly explore problems with spam requires understanding its background. I filtered the web for topics such as spam history, anti-spam, pro-spam, spam laws, spam legislature, and so forth. I was amazed at the information available and found that narrowing it down was no easy task. Support for spam appears simply divided between those who support it and those who do not. The grayness of the debate seems to reside in legislation. Even for anti-spammers, there are perspectives on why government involvement is not a good thing. I disagree with this but you’ll have to decide for yourself (or read my essay, Either mimic or respond to it).

Resources & websites
There is SO much information available on spam. The sites I found most useful were those that included supporting research or well thought out stories. Wired, CNN Tech & MSNBC Tech keep up with spam issues. The FTC & EuroCAUCE are fighting hard to beat spam. The UNCTAD released a report that trends communication technolgies. There are several researcher orgs and scholars that study the spam problem.

Conclusions & recommendations
Conclusive to the current spam epidemic, the problem is definitely worsening. My recommendations are simple but may not be favorable by the masses. Consumers need to take action to protect themselves but we also need legislation. I outlined the details of these solutions in my essay.

Bam Spam!!!

The House voted for anti-spam laws to ban Internet and cell phone spam. This includes a "Do Not Spam" list hosted by the FTC. I am so excited!!!!

Response: Jill's "Spam" EOTO

Jill’s research on SPAM (UCE) can be found in the JOMC 223 discussion forum. Since I also researched spam, I was especially interested in Jill’s post. I thought the Nigerian scam was a real eye-opener. The spammers claim that they would transfer money into consumer accounts for a small fee and travel to Nigeria was requested in some instances. Fifteen people (14 foreign and 1 American) who actually traveled to Nigeria were murdered (US State Department reference). It’s hard to believe that consumers actually fell victim to this; but they did. The Secret Service, US Justice and State departments are involved in this case (referred to as 419) which has still not been closed. This is just a reminder that spam should be taken very seriously at a global level.

Another area Jill referenced that I agree should be a spam concern is “identity theft.” Some users willingly provide their personal information through unsolicited email. The FTC has some information available on how to minimize the risk of identity theft in relation to spam. For those spammers who are engaged in criminal activities such as this, I do believe the government should play a role here. Of course, it has been said that as more government regulations are imposed and spam increases, this could be the demise of email. I believe this is an overreaction but definitely something to think about. Even some weblogs do not use comments to minimize spam.

Another recommendation would be to use the Direct Marketing Association’s Email Preference Service to “opt-out” of UCEs. It’s only effective for a year but it’s better than nothing at all!

Response to Minjeong’s “Sharing or Stealing: Copyright, Digital Technology and the Internet” EOTO

Minjeong includes a great perspective on the topic of copyright, digital technology and the internet. As she pointed out, infringement is one of the key issues inspired by monetary losses to copyright owners. From her research, I learned about the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and how section 512h is what the RIAA is using against subscribers. It does not seem fair that the RIAA would rely on the DMCA without filing an official complaint against the subscriber. Within the DMCA, Title II regarding the “Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation” Act includes section 512(h).

I found an anti-DMCA site that support efforts against the DMCA and the WIPO’s involvement.

Something interesting I read in this CNET article is that it’s legal to burn personal digital copies onto blank media (aka: CDRs). However, a fraction of the blank media sales go to the record industry. This is a definite way to ensure the industry is getting a cut of the proceeds! Suppose, I burn 5 copies of double-CD release of Elvis Costello for my friends. Five original copies would be over $20 bucks each and in no way could meet the small costs to the industry for 5 blank CD-Rs. I support copyright laws to protect music but it's definitely a difficult media to regulate considering ongoing technology enhancements.

Response to Merton’s "The Digital Divide" EOTO

I find the content and the writing style of Merton’s Digital Divide EOTO intriguing. The Digital Divide is a difficult and vast topic to address but his points about making the technology easier to use can faciliate closing the digital divide loop. He shared what India had proposed with the “Simputer” as an interesting concept to help address the digital divide. Time magazine online listed the Simputer as one of the Top 10 Technologies You and The Planet in 2002 to help the poor. I’m not sure what happened to the Simputer after that but it was a neat idea nonetheless. Brazil had a slightly similar idea called the “Computador Popular” with a bit clunkier design. I agree with Merton that "Internet access is useless unless people are literate enough to use it.” Education is key to make this happen on a global scale.