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WHEN CANDIDATES SPAM | PAGE 1, 2
Needless to say, these responses did not endear Sabrin to the spam fighters of the Net, who don't take well to having to request to be removed from mailing lists they'd never signed up for -- and who, when told to hit Delete, will proceed to get the spammer's account deleted by his Internet service provider. Sabrin's spam urged recipients to visit his Web site, where visitors were invited to post comments to a message board. Many gleefully took the opportunity to complain about spam and point out that it's anathema to libertarian ideals -- but their messages mysteriously disappeared, deleted by the webmaster. The flood of flames and complaints was so great that within 24 hours of sending the spam, Sabrin posted an apology to his message board with the title: "This is a PUBLIC APOLOGY for the SPAM sent to people via the Internet." It read: "When we created our Exploratory Committee, we got assistance from people with various skills -- including computer skills. Unfortunately, the youth who assisted us with our Web site took it upon himself to contact folks who did not seek such contact. Please accept my sincerest apology and rest assured this will not occur ever again." But hours after the apology was posted, people were still receiving Sabrin's spam. One California electrical engineer, Cameron Spitzer, posted evidence of continued spamming in a message to Sabrin's bulletin board titled "What a LIAR! He's STILL SPAMMING, AFTER posting his phony 'apology!'" But his message was quickly deleted. Soon afterward, Spitzer received what he called a "love note" in his mail box, from abuse@murraysabrin.com, accusing him of trespass, libel and defamation. The next day, the message board (and Sabrin's apology) disappeared from Sabrin's site. It was replaced by a moderated bulletin board without any hint of the controversy that was raging. Although the spam appeared to have stopped, the threatening e-mails from Sabrin's committee to the complainers continued. Sabrin was lucky that his Web site host, cihost.com, let him off with a warning against spamming. The Internet service provider used to send the spams was not so merciful. They had originated from an Internet account at Erols Internet (owned by RCN), using a forged address, Exploratory.Committee@erols.com. Such forgery, in addition to violating the terms of service of nearly every Internet service provider, is illegal in two states (California and Washington). Erols is known for its strict anti-spam policies, enforced by an employee known simply as "Afterburner," who has achieved demigod status in the anti-spam world. His response to those who complained about Sabrin's spam was short and succinct, leaving all the gory details to the readers' imagination: "This spammer has had his account turned into a thick, yellow spray. Sorry for the trouble. Yours, Afterburner RCN Abuse Guy." After the Erols account was nuked, the legal threats to people who complained about the spam to Sabrin became even more hysterical: "Our account with Erols HAS been temporarily suspended or revoked and unless they restore it, we will file suit against them in Federal District Court, naming YOU as 'John Doe' ... We suggest you hire a lawyer and prepare to defend yourself against our claims of 1) Violating our civil right to free speech; 2) Tortuous interference with our business affairs; and 3) interfering in our interstate commerce." In a show of solidarity with their comrades, other anti-spammers immediately wrote to info@murraysabrin.com demanding to be sued as well. They received this comment in response: "If you are merely injecting yourself into this situation because you feel riled about our possible legal action against others, we suggest you butt-out." Then, things got even stranger. A search for Sabrin's name in DejaNews revealed that not only had he spammed Usenet newsgroups, but apparently someone in Australia who'd received the spam had taken revenge by posting messages that forged Sabrin's name to alt.sex newsgroups. And results from search engine inquiries turned up an old Web page touting Sabrin's 1997 campaign; it listed an 800 number that, while no longer associated with Sabrin's campaign, was now promoting a pornographic 900 service. The denizens of NANAE were spellbound by the unfolding drama. As one contributor observed: "Readers of this newsgroup have over the last few days ... witnessed events related to the exploratory campaign of Dr. Sabrin which seem so bizarre that people are wondering whether someone is deliberately sabotaging his campaign." One concerned participant was moved to write directly to Sabrin: "Murray, Someone using your campaign name is sending aggressive, badly spelled replies to complaints about your spamming political messages." A few actually called Sabrin to make certain it was not a political dirty trick; they were distressed to learn that it was not. Others simply relished the sadistic spectacle of watching a spammer squirm: "Sounds like the heat is starting to get to them. Time to pour on more gasoline ... Well, if they insist on lighting up their stogies in fireworks factories, what further damage could any of us do? Hell, now they've started flicking burning matches around at random. I just hope they survive to learn from the experience." One participant, inspired by Sabrin to create a Web page devoted to politicians who spam, explained: "I've got a live target in my sights, and I'm not going to let up. The time for apologies is past, this bastard is going to pay." Finally, last Tuesday, Sabrin announced that he'd fired the volunteer who'd spammed and issued a lengthy new public apology both on his Web site and to the NANAE newsgroup, taking more responsibility for the incident than his initial apology. Magnanimous in victory, some NANAE-ites laid down their weapons, accepted the apology and wished Sabrin well on his campaign. Others didn't let him off so easily: "That's about as sincere an apology as 'I am sorry I ran over your cat with my car, so I fired my mechanic and slapped his wife.'" One NANAE regular cautioned against the need for retribution: "I mean, if this Murray Sabrin is speaking the truth, one can say the guy responsible for the spamming got fired and his one-year prepaid account at Erols was terminated. Severed heads and rotting corpses on poles along the Internet information highway would be nice too, but we'll take what we have :-)" Sabrin is now philosophical about his foray into spamming. Although he admits it was a mistake, he insists that his intentions were good and innocent. "I thought it would be an effective way to disseminate information," he explained after the brouhaha had calmed down. "I thought the Internet was an open forum. I guess I was wrong." The politician seems to have been extremely naive about the culture and interactive nature of the Internet. According to him, it was the nastiness of the anti-spammers' flames that prompted the webmaster to reply with empty threats of lawsuits. Those responses to the spam were so vile and upsetting that Sabrin can't even bring himself to repeat them: "When I disagree with someone," he says, "I do so in a polite and civil manner." Sabrin is anxious to move forward with his political ambitions. He now
says he better understands the privacy and property rights issues
surrounding spam, and plans to educate others and work toward solving the
spam problem. He hopes to announce his campaign for U.S. Senate sometime
this summer. But if New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman throws her hat
in the ring, all the spam in the world may not help him win the
nomination. Deborah Scoblionkov, a
writer who has contributed to Wired News, the New York Times and the
Philadelphia Inquirer, prefers her spam fried and crispy.
The war for your e-mail box: Do we need anti-spam laws? Some Net
veterans think the unthinkable. Spam
bombers: Tired of receiving dozens of get-rich-quick offers and promos
for "bulk mailers" in your e-mail? Meet the software designers who have
made it all possible. |
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