Re: [ot - sort of] spammer bites the dust (goodbye gtcdrom.com)

[Biju Chacko <biju_chacko@xxxxxxxxx>]

Fred,

At 08:49 PM 02/12/00 +0530, Frederick Noronha wrote:
> To my mind, one has to be careful before copying Amercian
> concepts of what constitutes 'spam'. Those definitions come from
> a culture where privacy of an individual is a supreme value. In
> our context, where we need to tune into new ideas, perhaps we
> need to look at things differently.

Ignoring for now the rather dubious connection between spam and privacy, do 
you mean to say that as an Indian I should have no concern for my privacy? 
Privacy is an American concept? Get real!

Secondly, I don't see the connection between privacy and spam.

> Some of the "unsolicited mail" that ends up in my mailbox is
> actually quite useful to me. Just because it happens to be
> 'spam' based on some American definition, I'm not willing to
> look at it in the same manner.

To use Suresh's catch-phrase "Spam is not about content -- it's about 
consent." I pay for my internet access by the minute. I pay for every bit 
of unsolicited mail I download. This is plain economics: encouraging spam 
costs me money, so I will *not* tolerate it from *anybody*, be it GT, RMS, 
Linus or God himself. I also find your insinuation that fighting spam is 
somehow un-Indian or a mindless American fad extremely insulting.

> Once again, I thank Taranath for all the help received from his
> organisation... as a small tribute, I plan to write a feature to
> the unusual work GT Enterprises has been attempting. --Frederick
> Noronha, Freelance Journalist, Goa.

Once again, let me stress the point: I have nothing against GT's business 
-- only his business practices. I would not have objected had he posted a 
link to an online catalogue with a [Commercial] tag on the BLUG or LIG 
list. I *do* object however, to his trawling the BLUG list for email ids 
and then sending big mails to them.

Your attitude to spam is very disappointing. By tolerating it, you are 
encouraging it. I don't particularly care whether your mailbox is 
overwhelmed by spam, but you are preventing me from having any control over 
my mailbox.


Biju
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Biju "Botsie" Chacko            b i j u _ c h a c k o @ y a h o o . c o m
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