--- From: "Ben" <bmwat_private> To: <declanat_private> Subject: Spamcop blacklists truthout.org Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 13:55:05 -0400 I thought I'd let you know about this considering your dealings with Spamcop, but speaking only for myself I have to tell you that the issue may not be as simple to judge as it was when Spamcop blacklisted Politech. That's mostly because, despite never signing up for truthout's newsletter, I get it regularly. I don't know how it happened, and I'm certain no one I know would've had any reason to sign me up. I also know there was never any verification e-mail telling me someone had subscribed with this address. I suppose it's been almost 2 years since I started getting them. Anyway, I might not admire the obvious bias of the site itself, but it's not particularly out of the ordinary in online 'news blog' sites, and the main reason I don't mind receiving them, and don't plan to remove myself from the list, is that truthout basically just sends out links to news articles from places like the NY Times site and the Washington Post, which means I spend less keeping up with them. Just FYI, Ben ----- Original Message ----- From: "t r u t h o u t" <messengerat_private> To: <bmwat_private> Sent: Monday, July 14, 2003 1:46 AM Subject: A Letter from TO Legal Counsel William M. Simpich > To the Readers of Truthout, > This is a letter from TO Legal Counsel William M. Simpich addressing the blacklisting of the TO Daily Edition Newsletter. > > Marc Ash, Executive Director - t r u t h o u t > mailto:maat_private > > ------- > > William M. Simpich > Attorney at Law > 1736 Franklin Street, 10th Floor > Oakland, California 94612 > > > July 3, 2003 > > To: The readers of truthout.com > > From: Counsel for truthout.com > > Re: Blacklisting > > This is a short note to let you know that your complaints about not receiving your copy of Truthout have been heard, and that action is being taken. Truthout has contacted SpamCop and Yahoo! and protested the blacklisting of its organization. Truthout is active in grassroots outreach and organizing via the internet; it is a vital and productive part of our core mission. However, Truthout has never engaged in indiscriminate mass spamming. > > So how does Truthout come to be blacklisted?. An individual with a political axe to grind can easily manipulate a Reader-based SPAM rating system. Clearly, Truthout has been targeted in this manner. As Ray Everett-Church, the counsel for Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email, stated in the May 14 Washington Post, some blacklists indeed become ``little more than tools for people's personal vendettas." > > Both SpamCop and Yahoo rely on the highly flawed reader-based SPAM rating system. In fact, on SpamCop's website, it discusses the status of the SpamCop blocking list. It states that it ``should not be used in a production environment where legitimate e-mail must be delivered.'' Then it admits that it ``err(s) on the side of blocking mail...there is no warranty associated with using this system. It is provided as is.'' (Emphasis in original) > > We have informed SpamCop that it is ``inviting a defamation suit by using such tactics against a commercial e-mailer. By engaging in such a tactic with a noncommercial organization such as Truthout, you are virtually guaranteeing a victory.'' > > First Amendment advocates in the noncommercial sector such as Truthout should not have their speech deterred in any way. While everyone hates the spammers, neither SpamCop, Yahoo or anyone else should be deciding what people in the United States are allowed to read. > > > Sincerely, > > > William M. Simpich ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Jul 14 2003 - 11:31:48 PDT