Spam and privacy

[John Seth]

Privacy.  There is no such thing.  Your bank accounts are monitored, 
credit card activity analyzed, social security and retirement funds 
squandered and moved around without anyone having a say.  Email privacy. 
  Again, no such thing.  If I want to be "anonymous", I use a Hotmail, 
Yahoo, or other free email service where people can claim to be anyone 
they want.

People in a position of questioning, surveying, or just asking a 
question, will most often ignore emails where a person does not say who 
they are.  I run a popular website for Buffalo and WNY, and I see 
__plenty__ of "anonymous" posts, and messages.

Myself, if someone says something "anonymously", on a subject I have 
asked, or perhaps someone else has, I watch for those emails and/or 
posts which are people who aren't afraid.  I delete those who do not 
show themselves, or have no way for me to easily identify them. 
"Anonymizers" are not totally anonymous.  AOL's proxy caching allows a 
persons real IP through, and it's no secret, yet many think it protects 
them.  Basically, it's my opinion that, Big Brother, or perhaps someone 
else, is always watching. Never sleeping, the war on terrorism, as well 
as information collecting, is out there, and they are there, whether you 
believe it, or want it.

Just my two pence.

   - Tony Evans


Asheville Joe wrote:
> Spam is a hassle to everybody, but I'm wondering if the problem will be 
> used as an excuse to eliminate another aspect of privacy - anonymous email.
> I may be reading this too broadly, but Billy's remarks (along with 
> Palladium, etc.) make me a little sensitive on this issue.
> 
>> http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/execmail/2003/06-24antispam-print.asp
> 
> 
> 
> I have had occasion to send comments or opinions to controversial sites 
> which I did not want traceabe back to me.  I have used anonymous 
> emailers to do this. (I'm sure there's a way to do this in Linux, but 
> technical issues are not the point here.)  I think it's important to 
> maintain this ability as part of free speech and because it enables 
> people who stick their necks out to get feedback from those who have 
> something to say, but are unwilling to take the associated risk of 
> public disclosure of their identities.
> 
> What do you think?
> 
> Joe
> 
>