Lycos Europe is offering a controversial new screen saver to Windows users (and Mac, as well).
Marketing it under the “Make Love, Not Spam” banner, the screensaver is designed to send requests to view a known spam source’s website.
The idea is that when a large number of users are all running the screensaver, during those user’s downtime (i.e. when the screensaver is active), it will effectively clog the spam server’s resources.
In otherwords, it’s Seti meets DDOS.
The problem is, just because you are part of DDOSing spammers rather than legitimate companies doesn’t make it any less illegal.
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As a reminder, in August several people were arrested and prosecuted for staging DDOS attacks on their competitors.
So, Aunty’s advice, and do remember that Aunty has as least a passing acquaintaince with things legal, is, if you are located in the United States, as tempting as it may be to download the Lycos DDOS screensaver, don’t do it.
On the other hand, if you like the catchy slogan “Make Love, Not Spam”, ISIPP was using it way before Lycos came up with it (looks like a copyright C&D may be in order), and you can order their fine “Make Love, Not Spam” apparel, including lingerie, at CafePress.
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DDoS attacks are fun, entertaining, and it’s something u can do when you get bored, it’s fun… Except in the UK
So if it isn’t bad enough, they spam us, if we look at there site thats illegal. Hell, how can we win. I’m working close with an attorney (pro bono) who is going to sue spammers for me. Turns out its very lucritive, I may be able to quit my job. Just so the rest of you know what I do, I follow up every email as much as I can, fill out there forms, what every just to get to the end. Then after the dummy has paid $46 from ju?cyleads.com that isn’t suppose to be spamming be to begin with, I drop the bomb on the guy and let him know he is buying spam leads and can be sued. People never take it seriously and blow me off so I got an attorney.
Emails to my job is harrasment at my work as far as I’m concearned, I have to have emails to build websites.
If you guys really want to get back at them do as much as you can but get an attorney for suit time.
Ok, jack (comment #8) sarcasm will not help the issue, and I certainly hope it was sarcasm! Any comment about the murder of people over spam MUST be sarcasm, or a posting from someone that is psychotic.
I believe that the most effective means to fight this problem is to change or modify the mail protocol to allow users to verify that an email is not bogus. Something like the SSL we have for Internet communications.
Until they make the changes, and I know they can, we can REASONABLY fight back by spamming the spammers.
I think you are completely wrong here. Spammers legally attack our mail servers everyday with no consequences. They are terrorists, no different than ones we are fighting right now. Our mistakes of the past started with us letting them get away with it and using our sensibility against us. Now, it is time to attack. Look what happened in Iraq. Use the almighty might of the US and the terrorist fell. We need to do the same here. The spammers walk all over us with 95% of all of our mail Spam. It is time to shut them down, destroy their ability to send out such spam, find them, arrest them and pass out 30 year sentances or more. Let me tell you….a few dead spammers paraded around time square for a bit would definately make people think differently.
Boston hung pirates covered in tar out over the harbor. The message was clear.
Pirating our Internet service is no different. Hang a few out in the breeze and I bet Spam suddenly drops.
If someone murders someone, we do not sit and create ways to block other murders…we find the merdurer and deal with them.
We spend millions to go after some poor farmer in some foreign land because he grows pot. Let’s curb some of that money and send in our forces to take out any Spam sights. A few news shots of burning bulidings with body bags laying out in the street…well, I would think I could spend less time sorting my Spam right away.
Just some thoughts on the matter.
Jack
It is not DDOS. According to the press release, what they are doing is legal because they are not allowing the screen saver utility to “crash” the site, just load it down so it will not be able to send very much Spam. In either case, I get over 200 SPAMS including spoofs (which ARE illegal) and my significant other made a blatant oops and posted their email address and get over 800 spams a day.
So WE must bear the cost of spam protection? So WE must examine every business correspondence assuming spoof? So WE must allow our in boxes to become clogged with their chaff??? I SHOUT NO!!!!! We have the RIGHT to an Internet that does not attack us without the need for all the “created need� packages to protect us!
Find a way to make the legal system stop them, make changes to the mail protocol so we can have a standard means of verifying the sender, or expect us to do it ourselves.
“Revenge is a dish which is best served cold�
spam sites that send me shit, gets shit back with the help of this screensaver, they asked for it, if what they do isnt illegal, then what this screensaver makes it possible for me to do, isnt illegal either, i NEVER asked for their F***ing spam.
I think that if this screensaver, available at http://makelovenotspam.com/intl/ is fair play: the spammers are all about inviting us to visit their stupid websites, so here we are all automatically and simultaneously taking them up on that invitation. And the Lycos site indicates that their technology ensures that the spammer’s site is never *completely* throttled by the screensaver’s visits anyway.
Two Wrongs Don’t Make A Right. Just Three Lefts Make A Right.