RBL quandry - opinions hereby solicited

Tue Nov 17 02:01:11 UTC 1998

At 09:45 11/16/98 -0800, you wrote:
>I don't really see this as SPAM. It's is annoying, but I would place it in
>the same classification as a credit card company, one that I hold a card
>from. sending me junk mail. Since they (Network solutions), have developed
>this mailing list from infomation you provided to them in registering
>domain(s).
>They are entitled to contact you. You may, of course complain, and they
>(Network solutions), are of course are entitled to take no action.

That's not correct at all.  Just because you provide information for one
purpose does not, and should not, be blanket permission to use that
information for any other purposes.  When you provide info to the credit
card company, you can usually tell them you don't want junk mail from them.
 Even if you cannot, it's not reasonable to expect junk mail from, say, a
vacuum cleaner company that has a deal with the credit card company.  

This is a perfect example of NSI's use of their database as a mailing
list...something they have repeatedly denied that they will do (despite
what their SEC filings say).  The email was not for the benefit of NSI, it
was for the benefit of Verisign...but the mailing list was not developed by
Verisign nor were the spams sent from Verisign.  NSI sold their database
and mailing services like any common street whor^H^H^H spammer.  And they
probably didn't even sell it, given the inside track Verisign has there.

You provided your information for registering a domain.  That was the
purpose for which the relationship was established.  NSI could reasonably
send you UCE relating to your domain registration because that relates to
the relationship.  This crap does not count. Remember that this spam is NOT
touting an NSI service (they could get away with something touting
WorldNIC, for example) but shilling another company's service.

NOTE:  Remember that they did this last spring, too...resulting in much
outcry.  I suppose we can look forward to more of it in the future.  

Spammers should be investigated by Ken Starr!

Dean Robb
PC-EASY computer services
(757) 495-EASY [3279]