We all hate spam (except for the Monty Python “Spam” skit but that was, well, completely different. What I’m talking about is “Double the size of your pickle! Buy pharmacy products! Free OEM software!”). And there’s been very little way to fight back…until now! (cue big cinema music). The Blue Frogs are pioneering a way to stop spammers – by shutting down their websites if they don’t stop sending spam.
How it works: you register at the Blue Frog website, download their application which then detects when you’re being spammed. You complain about the spam to Blue Frog and they send a message to the spammer to stop. If the spammer doesn’t stop, then every Blue Frog member who complained sends a message to the spammer. For example, a few domains listed on the Community Statistics Page have received almost 200,000 requests to stop.
In internet security terms this is very similar to a distributed Denial-of-service attack – or distributed mail-bombing. It basically disables the spammer’s site – most of the messages are sent in a few hours. A few spammer domains have already been shut down.
The goal is to create a list of people (the “Do Not Intrude Registry”) who don’t want to be spammed and enforcing their desire to not be spammed by shutting down said spammers site. Mwahahaaa! The little people strike back!
I don’t know about you, but I’m in. Here’s the blurb I got from the site:
I’ve registered with Blue Security’s Do Not Intrude Registry anti-spam service and highly recommend that you sign up, too.
The Do Not Intrude Registry lets you take control of the spam messages you receive and allows you to reclaim your email experience. Not only will you receive much less spam, you will also be able to actively help eliminate spam by deterring spammers from sending unsolicited bulk mail.
You may register up to three private email accounts in the Do Not Intrude Registry. The service is free, Sign up now and you’ll never have to pay for Blue Security’s anti-spam service!
Stop filtering spam, Start deterring spammers – Sign up with the Do Not Intrude Registry
http://www.bluesecurity.com/solutions/do_not_intrude.asp?from=invite
Check out the cool tutorial (with the Blue Frog and the Martian Fly Spammer) that explains how it works.
Although sometimes spammers are hilarious – I’ve just received an email promising me “No more penis enlarge ripoffs”…well, thank goodness for that – you wouldn’t like to get it enlarged and then ripped off…
But thinking about the logic here, it seems they’re targetting that unique segment of the market who
1) would consider buying something marked (in large, friendly letters) “ENLARGE YOUR CONKER!” and
2) have already bought one and have been ripped off (so to speak) and
3) still want to buy another one.
Any takers?!
From Randy Cassingham’s weekly “This is true” newsletter: http://www.thisistrue.com
THERE’S NOT A LOT I CAN SAY about the hurricane damage in and around New
Orleans that you don’t already know. Except maybe for one thing: no
matter how badly you already think of spammers, they just get worse and
worse. People were still waiting to be rescued, but spammers had
already gone to work to steal aid meant for the victims. They sent out
“urgent appeals” for contributions for the victims, but REAL charities
don’t spam asking for aid: the sites people were sent to not only stole
the contributions meant for victims, but then their credit card info
was sold to identity thieves. Can anyone be more slimy? If you want to
help the hurricane victims, donate DIRECTLY to the Red Cross —
http://www.RedCross.org — or other disaster relief organizations, not
through an intermediary who might take a cut (or all of your donation)
for “expenses”. http://www.scambusters.org/hurricanekatrinascams.html
has details on the incredible variety of scams being tried in the wake
of Katrina. When you buy ANYTHING from spammers, you support such
people with YOUR hard-earned money. http://www.SpamPrimer.com has more
about spam, how these thieves got your e-mail address, and what to do
about it.