SPAM from NetScape and AOL

Tue Dec 22 18:34:20 UTC 1998

At 9:15 AM -0600 12/22/98, Tim Salo wrote:
>> Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 00:23:42 -0700
>> To: nanog at merit.edu
>> From: "John M. Brown" <jmbrown at ihighway.net>
>> Subject: SPAM from NetScape and AOL
>> 	[...]
>> Looks like NetCenter just got a mailing list from AOL and there
>> AOL Chat app.
>>
>> Thanks AOL for violating my privacy request,
>> Thanks NetScape for sending me SPAM.
>> 	[...]
>
> I don't know how things really work under the covers, but your screen name
> is visible to anyone in the AOL chat room as soon as you enter the room.
> Do you have some evidence that it was AOL, and not merely some AOL user,
> (or user's bot) that collected your AOL screen name?
>
> -tjs

I doubt that John Brown even has an AOL account.

I assume what happened is that he gave them his email address on one 
of their web sites and they decided it made a good entry into the 
database they send "marketing opportunities" to? :-)