Bush signs new spam law....

[BradShaw]

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/fc/Tech/s..._spam_bush_dc_4 (http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/fc/Tech/spam_and_junk_email/latest_developments/*http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031216/wr_nm/tech_spam_bush_dc_4)

Anyone have a clear understanding of what it means for our biz? I am too lazy to read the entire bill he signed.

[Dravyk]

It means stick in an "ADV" in the header, a legit optout link and mention a legal post box address, and everyone and their grandmother can now legally spam.

[Hooper]

you say that like it's a bad thing :D

[ulfie]

Originally posted by Dravyk@Dec 16 2003, 12:29 PM
It means stick in an "ADV" in the header, a legit optout link and mention a legal post box address, and everyone and their grandmother can now legally spam.
That's all you ever needed to do and you were compliant in all 50 states. If it's adult some states require ADV-ADULT in the subject line but other than that I don't see it being any different to laws that already exist in certain states. The benefit I see of having a federal law is that you now have 1 set of rules rather than 50 different sets of rules. As far as doing anything to stop spam.....I doubt it will have any effect at all.

[Nickatilynx]

That's all you ever needed to do and you were compliant in all 50 states.

Try telling that to spam cop :(

[ulfie]

Originally posted by Nickatilynx@Dec 16 2003, 12:47 PM
That's all you ever needed to do and you were compliant in all 50 states.

Try telling that to spam cop :(
Don't even get me started on spamcop......

[Dravyk]

Originally posted by Hooper@Dec 16 2003, 12:42 PM
you say that like it's a bad thing :D
LOL! Not if I'm doing it, just if everyone else is doing it too, Hoop. B)

SpamCop sucks. Spam Arrest I hate more. And all RBL's suck!

[Hooper]

the difference now is that hosts and upstream providers will be more willing to allow you to accept email traffic if you are a sponsor and it will be easier to find facilities from which to send if you are a mailer.

of course this means that the value of each email you send goes down because not only will many corporations and isp's will block at the source all ADV emails...

however i'd be willing to bet that mailers would much prefer a decrease in the value of their emails as opposed to paying 10-20-30-50k a month to greedy providers in order to have 2000 ip's that they hop between while trying to dodge block lists.

i think also that one of the ripple effects is that block lists will either become good guys or bad guys. some will still do silly things like block all of verio because of a few customers who are spamming and breaking the rules... but those blocklists who do that will stop being used by admin's as blocklists that effectively spot block and only block isp's who are allowing mailers to mail who break the rules, run proxy mailres etc..etc..

i'm stoked about the rule, because now basically all the state laws are invalidated/un-prosecutable because states are not allowed to limit interstate commerce from my understanding, and this new law provides a federal and overriding set of laws.

my 2 cents.

[TheEnforcer]

I think when it's all said and done a lot of lawmakers are gonna go "Oh shit, what have I done?" :zoinks:

[KRL]

Just another way for the politicians to make it appear to the public that they have the ability to control the Net. And we all know the reality of that.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[Dravyk]

the difference now is that hosts and upstream providers will be more willing to allow you to accept email traffic if you are a sponsor and it will be easier to find facilities from which to send if you are a mailer.

I agree.

of course this means that the value of each email you send goes down because not only will many corporations and isp's will block at the source all ADV emails...

Well I think it would now take many more emails to achieve the same effect yes. So maybe the value of the list goes down, or the value of each batch send goes does. I think, if this comes out right, the value of each one goes up in the sense of when you prequalify a sale on a free site with a monetary listing though ... less clicks, better conversions.

There will be abuse from ISPs and RBLs though. I think ISPs will block ADVs but then get a Direct Marketing Association lawsuit that it goes against the federal law. The same with RBLs who all tend to have god complexes.

[Torone]

It might affect us; but will have little or no effect on the volume of spam. It can't affect the spammers outside of the US; and you have to opt-out to get rid of a spammer...