FC: "Spammy" anti-spam group blasts AP report as erroneous

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[I thank Kate for replying on behalf of TRAC. It seems that Kate's comments 
parse the topic narrowly: People may have told they were added to an email 
list against their will and without permission, but no email was sent out. 
AP says they stand by their story. Let this be a lesson: If you're going to 
campaign against spamhausen, make sure your own house is in order first! 
Previous Politech message: http://www.politechbot.com/p-03946.html --Declan]

---

Date: Wed, 04 Sep 2002 15:13:54 -0400
From: Kate Dean <kdean () idi net>
To: declan () well com
Subject: Re: FC: More on groups ask FTC to can spam through new regulations

Declan -

No one has accused TRAC of sending Spam!

You calling the anti-spammers "a bit spammy" wherein there has been no 
reports of TRAC sending spam is misleading and inaccurate.  The TRAC site 
did indeed for a short period of time state "You are currently
signed up for news and information."  - but that statement was inaccurate 
and was just a template response that was generated when a person's story 
was submitted (standard language from a script that was copied).

Only your editorializing in your comments and Ian's editorializing in his 
comments accuse TRAC of spamming. There are no reports that were brought to 
Ian's attention of anyone getting spam.

Thank you for your earlier story and for drawing attention to the 
relatively obscure First Amendment issues that are in fact the real issues.

Kate Dean

--
Kate Dean
Issue Dynamics, Inc.
Staff Associate
919 18th Street, NW
10th Floor
Washington, DC 20006
202.263.2923

---

From: "Meeks, Brock (MSNBCi)" <Brock.Meeks () MSNBC COM>
To: "'Declan () well com'" <Declan () well com>
Subject: FW: NEWS - AP
Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2002 12:26:55 -0700

FYI
=-=-=-=-=

ASSOCIATED PRESS "SPAM" EMAIL STORY IS WRONG, CONSUMER GROUP WARNS

Correction Now Being Sought About Inaccurate Report on Anti-Spam Initiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- September 4, 2002 -- The nonprofit membership 
organization Telecommunications Research and Action Center (TRAC) cautioned 
news organizations today that a Washington, D.C. datelined story from the 
Associated Press about spam e-mail is "simply dead wrong" in suggesting 
that TRAC is engaging in the use of spam email in its campaign opposed to 
unsolicited junk email.  TRAC has contacted the AP in Washington to seek a 
correction to the story and indicated that it will do the same in 
connection with any other news organization that runs the factually 
inaccurate story.

"It is 100 percent erroneous to suggest that TRAC, the National Consumers 
League or Consumer Action are sending spam email to consumers who go to 
www.banthespam.com to tell their junk email horror stories" said TRAC 
Chairman Samuel A. Simon.  "No spam email of any kind was sent to any 
consumer.  Not a single person.  What the AP has done is concoct an 
inaccurate story about some language that appeared on the anti-spam Web 
site.  I want to emphasize that the Web site did not generate any spam and, 
in fact, it was never capable of doing so.  The AP story is simply dead wrong."

Earlier today, TRAC, NCL and Consumer Action announced that they are 
formally petitioning the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to use its 
powers to dramatically reduce the unsolicited bulk commercial email 
popularly known as "spam."  The three nonprofit consumer groups also 
announced the related launch of a nonprofit Web site, 
<http://www.banthespam.com>http://www.banthespam.com, designed to empower 
consumers by giving them the ability to express their anger and frustration 
about abusive spam email.    At the Web site, consumers can let the FTC 
know of their support for the anti-spam email petition by reporting spam 
"horror stories."

CONTACT:  Kate Dean, Telecommunications Research and Action Center, 
202/263-2932.

---




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