The Internet may be the most revolutionary communications medium ever, but that revolution comes with the burden of a boatload of questionable “stuff”-rampant pornography, anonymous access to prescription drugs, illegal music downloads, online gambling, fraud, hoaxes, plagiarism-all led by the granddaddy of all Internet-related nuisances: SPAM.
This week one of those lovely little e-mail address harvesters got to me, and its methods have to be a new low. I received a message from Worldwatchdog.com that a report had been filed on me at wordofmouth.info.
Basically, the recipient is led to believe someone is questioning something about his character and has invited others to provide information.
The thing is, while trying to find out who might be behind your inquiry, you are met with broken links or requests for payment if you want to take things further and actually find details. The Web site purports to be a public-service type of venue; you just really don’t know who you are dealing with these days, so why not share what you know about people-bad and good-with others?
A little surfing on Google and Ask Jeeves and I was able to determine that the site is a scamming, spamming, fraudulent e-mail harvester that first wants to verify a live address, and, if they can, make $20 off someone in the process. Instead of the millions of reports on individuals the site claims, apparently only a few dozen actually exist. It is a trap. Outrageous!
Maybe groups like the Liberty Alliance (see story page 19) can begin to help clean things up and at least ensure that wireless users won’t have to deal with this kind of garbage-and issues of identification and authentication-while using their precious wireless minutes.
Spam legislation at the wireless level obviously will be necessary, but technical solutions may help fill the gap.
EarthLink, with its soon-to-be-launched spam blocker program, offers a remedy to unwanted e-mail marketing (although the product may be delayed due to a patent infringement case). And Telcotec in Ireland says it is developing products designed to protect mobile-phone users from both unsolicited and pornographic content. There are likely others in the space.
While the Internet’s “Wild Frontier” qualities have allowed it to proliferate and thrive with such depth and speed, arguably it is those same qualities that have been the downfall as a successful business venue for many participants. As the wireless industry continues to bet that its pot of gold lies in its connection to this frontier, it should take heed so the wireless data user experience is not diminished by the aggravation of spam.
