Spamhaus lawsuit?

[IWantU_Jeff]

Got this in the mail over the weekend.
Tried to do a search didnt really find anything, 'cept for back in 2003.

Anyone else heard about this? Thoughts?

Hello
I am writing you today to ask that you get involved in a Class Action Lawsuit to stop the abuse and blackmail perpetrated by a vigilante organization known as Spamhaus and run by Steve Linford. We have talked to many ISPs and hosting companies and the consensus is basically the same. ISPs are tired of being blackmailed and bullied by this group of thugs and we propose to put an end to it by filing a Lawsuit. The defendants in this lawsuit will be

1. Spamhaus.org

2. Steve Linford

3. Companies that use and support Spamhaus.

4. ISPs that unjustly shut or refuse service based on Spamhaus direction.

As you may already know Spamhaus just lost an 11.7 million dollar lawsuit filed by e360insight.com. they have refused to abide by the federal court order and will be soon held in contempt. If you are using Spamhaus you may be exposing your company to huge liability as they do not follow any law in their blacklisting and Steve Linford uses his position to abuse his list as a weapon for personal vendettas.

Facts:
1. Spamhaus lists sites, IPs and ISPs that are not spamming.

2. Steve Linford uses his blacklists to enrich himself and for personal vendettas

3. Steve Linford owns a hosting company UXN.COM which is a direct conflict of interest in operating his illegal blacklist

4. Steve Linford Ignores United States courts and laws

5. Steve Linford Blackmails ISPs by listing IPs of innocents in order to get them to comply with whatever he asks.

6. The same list Spamhaus misrepresents as their SBl is freely available at http://cbl.abuseat.org (without the blackmail)

7. Steve Linford has no regard for free speech and puts sites on his list solely for speaking out about him to repress the growing Anti-spamhaus movement.

One only needs to log into http://groups.google.com/group/news....et-abuse.email to see the absolute nonsense that goes on there and Steve Linford banging his chest and bragging he can shut down any site or host in the world. Regardless of the fight against spam there is no place on the internet for one man to decide who has a website and who does not.

If you are Interested in more information and updates as we progress please send an email to [email protected] and we will add you to our confidential list. At the very least if your tired of this kind of blackmail, do not bow to the Illegal actions of Spamhaus and log into http://groups.google.com/group/news....et-abuse.email and tell them what you think of their blackmail tactics. It is time for Spamhaus to go. if you google "Spamhaus Terrorists" and "Spamhaus Judgment" you can read more about what is going on recently.

Thank you for your time
Committee to stop Spamhaus censorship and Blackmail

[IWantU_Jeff]

wow no one has any thought on this?

[cyberstar]

haven't heard of any new lawsuits

[TheSwed]

Quote:
$12 million ordered from anti-spam group
Spamhaus Project blacklisted e360 Insight claiming the company spams
CHICAGO - The head of an organization that fights unwanted bulk e-mail said Friday that an Illinois company will remain on its block list despite a court order and a steep monetary judgment.

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Spamhaus Project, an international anti-spam organization, to pay $11.7 million in damages to Wheeling-based e360 Insight LLC for blacklisting the company...


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14855085/

[fuzebox]

I fuckin hate Spamhaus... When I was a sysadmin they were nothing but problems.

[ronbotx]

Originally Posted by IWantU_Jeff

wow no one has any thought on this?

Yes. That letter was written by a spammer, who found a stupid local judge, apparently clueless about the federal CAN-SPAM laws, who is upset because the court found a default judgement against Spamhaus for millions of dollars which ended up being a joke since a local court has no jurisdiction over Spamhaus which is in Great Britian.

The douchebag spammer (and the real criminal) is still upset because Spamhaus countinues to block them and refuses to pay them.

Most of the so called facts listed ..aren't. I use RBLS like Spamhaus and Spamcop daily to filter out 98% of the crap that end up in my mailbox thanks to losers like the moron behind this email.

[Machete_]

Originally Posted by ronbotx

Yes. That letter was written by a spammer, who found a stupid local judge, apparently clueless about the federal CAN-SPAM laws, who is upset because the court found a default judgement against Spamhaus for millions of dollars which ended up being a joke since a local court has no jurisdiction over Spamhaus which is in Great Britian.

The douchebag spammer (and the real criminal) is still upset because Spamhaus countinues to block them and refuses to pay them.

Most of the so called facts listed ..aren't. I use RBLS like Spamhaus and Spamcop daily to filter out 98% of the crap that end up in my mailbox thanks to losers like the moron behind this email.

yep. That is actually the truth behind it all

[IWantU_Jeff]

wow, gettin some good comments now ;)

[Quagmire]

Is that email still floating around? I was getting that thing ages ago and assumed it was some pissed off spammer.

[IWantU_Jeff]

Originally Posted by Quagmire

Is that email still floating around? I was getting that thing ages ago and assumed it was some pissed off spammer.

Oh really? Ive worked in hosting & never got it.
Just got this over the weekend. The only thing I had every heard about spamhaus was back, like I mentioned in 2003.

Didnt know about the recent one & didnt know/hear anything about this.
Dont think they will actually get away with anything tho..

[just a punk]

The olny thing I could say is: Spamhaus sucks.

[marketsmart]

Originally Posted by ronbotx

Yes. That letter was written by a spammer, who found a stupid local judge, apparently clueless about the federal CAN-SPAM laws, who is upset because the court found a default judgement against Spamhaus for millions of dollars which ended up being a joke since a local court has no jurisdiction over Spamhaus which is in Great Britian.

The douchebag spammer (and the real criminal) is still upset because Spamhaus countinues to block them and refuses to pay them.

Most of the so called facts listed ..aren't. I use RBLS like Spamhaus and Spamcop daily to filter out 98% of the crap that end up in my mailbox thanks to losers like the moron behind this email.

bullshit.. you are an idiot.. i know the whole case.. you must be a self appointed internet cop... well guess what fuckface, you have no right nor responsability to govern the internet....

is that clear enough for you?

[Phoenix]

spamhaus says they are in britain but they arent

they are apsmmers themselves everyone knows that

fuck them and the horse they rode in on

[ronbotx]

Originally Posted by marketsmart

bullshit.. you are an idiot.. i know the whole case.. you must be a self appointed internet cop... well guess what fuckface, you have no right nor responsability to govern the internet....

is that clear enough for you?

So then retard, neither ISP's or individuals have the right TO FREELY CHOOSE to use an ANY RBL including SPAMHAUS to protect their inbox.

It completely voluntary and it works. You must be a worthless/lowlife spammer who gets so upset when ISP's and individuals use available tools to block the crap you send.

Show me your Spammer's Bill of Rights that says I have to accept your turds
in my mailbox. ISPs and individuals have the right to block anything they want, using whatever tools they want.

You are as stupid as the spammer behind that email.

[minusonebit]

haha, the soultion is to get rid of e-mail - period.

But that aside, I am all for suing spammers into the ground. Hell, I'd kill them if it were legal. I'm not gonna take aim at Spamhaus for trying to stop the problem, although thier ways of doing things is somewhat misguided.

Note to self: this might be a good plank in my campaign platform.

[BlackCrayon]

Originally Posted by ronbotx

So then retard, neither ISP's or individuals have the right TO FREELY CHOOSE to use an ANY RBL including SPAMHAUS to protect their inbox.

It completely voluntary and it works. You must be a worthless/lowlife spammer who gets so upset when ISP's and individuals use available tools to block the crap you send.

Show me your Spammer's Bill of Rights that says I have to accept your turds
in my mailbox. ISPs and individuals have the right to block anything they want, using whatever tools they want.

You are as stupid as the spammer behind that email.

these guys were following can-spam, there are laws that protect businesses from those who are interfering with their ability to do business. of course the whole thing means nothing since spamhaus is UK based and the lawsuit was in the US but still, these 'spammers' weren't doing anything wrong. i agree that rbl's are needed but legit email that follows the laws should be treated differently and it should be the END USER's decision on if he wants to use an rbl or not.

[ronbotx]

Originally Posted by BlackCrayon

these guys were following can-spam, there are laws that protect businesses from those who are interfering with their ability to do business. of course the whole thing means nothing since spamhaus is UK based and the lawsuit was in the US but still, these 'spammers' weren't doing anything wrong. i agree that rbl's are needed but legit email that follows the laws should be treated differently and it should be the END USER's decision on if he wants to use an rbl or not.

Whether its CAN-SPAM compliant or not is irrelevant. Your definition of "legit" may not be mine. ISPs only need to answer to their paid subscribers, and in many cases I know, the subscriber can flip the filters off or on. If they don't like the spam policy, they are free to switch to another ISP. I have not heard many complaints from subscribers that not ENOUGH spam was getting through with any ISP I've ever used.

The law specifically states the ISPs can use any tool they want. They can block anyone they want for any reason.

SPAM is NOT free speech.

[BlackCrayon]

Originally Posted by ronbotx

Whether its CAN-SPAM compliant or not is irrelevant. Your definition of "legit" may not be mine. ISPs only need to answer to their paid subscribers, and in many cases I know, the subscriber can flip the filters off or on. If they don't like the spam policy, they are free to switch to another ISP. I have not heard many complaints from subscribers that not ENOUGH spam was getting through with any ISP I've ever used.

The law specifically states the ISPs can use any tool they want. They can block anyone they want for any reason.

SPAM is NOT free speech.

my definition of legit is when the can spam laws are followed. legit to me means within the law. of course subscribers don't typically want more spam but there are people obviously who like the offers or else it wouldn't be as profitable as it is.

where is the line drawn anyways? how do the blacklists know which are opt-in type newsletters and which are spam? as we all know anti-spammers sign up to these things just so they can get the emails and put the ips/domains on blocklists.

i don't care for telemarketers, my daily dose of pizza and wing advertisements in my mail box but its a part of life, just as people will have to get used to email advertisements as a part of life.

[madawgz]

i hope Spamhaus pays up, fucking bitches

[minusonebit]

Originally Posted by BlackCrayon

my definition of legit is when the can spam laws are followed. legit to me means within the law. of course subscribers don't typically want more spam but there are people obviously who like the offers or else it wouldn't be as profitable as it is.

where is the line drawn anyways? how do the blacklists know which are opt-in type newsletters and which are spam? as we all know anti-spammers sign up to these things just so they can get the emails and put the ips/domains on blocklists.

i don't care for telemarketers, my daily dose of pizza and wing advertisements in my mail box but its a part of life, just as people will have to get used to email advertisements as a part of life.

CAN-SPAM is a joke. Almost all spam sent before that law meet the requirements of the CAN-SPAM act. And no, they dont need to get used to it. Unlike the snail mailbox, where the spammer pays to send his spam, with telemarketers and spammers, they steal facilities and services you have paid for and convert them to thier own uses. I pay for a telephone line so I can talk to people I want to talk to, not so that life insurance sellers can reach me. Same with my e-mail facilities, they are not provided so that others have a place to deposit thier ads.

[BoNgHiTtA]

You know what I get sick of, I host at a local COLO who is pretty cheap. Every so often a spammer or a computer gets hacked on there network (they have like 6 datacenters), and I get warnings that I am being blocked cause Spamhaus blocks the whole fucking range. Its horseshit and a shitty way to define a spammer.

Fuck you spamhaus, you suck and I hope they collect and wipe you off the face of the earth. I don't spam, and don't like being blocked cause someone else on the HUGE fucking network is.

You suck

[ronbotx]

Originally Posted by BoNgHiTtA

You know what I get sick of, I host at a local COLO who is pretty cheap. Every so often a spammer or a computer gets hacked on there network (they have like 6 datacenters), and I get warnings that I am being blocked cause Spamhaus blocks the whole fucking range. Its horseshit and a shitty way to define a spammer.

Fuck you spamhaus, you suck and I hope they collect and wipe you off the face of the earth. I don't spam, and don't like being blocked cause someone else on the HUGE fucking network is.

You suck

I really don't expect much support for my anti-spam position on a spam support board full of advertisers who are spammers, provide hosting services for spammers, sponsors who use spammers to promote their programs, or webmasters who themselves are spammers.

In the example Bongboy points out above, a machine gets hacked by some douchbag, and he turns it into a his personal spam machine essentially stealing badwidth and resources. At this point, a single ip is blocked as the complaints come in. A warning is registered with the owners of the ip space, and if the web host is doing his job, that machine is shut down and spammer is tossed. It can end there. However, if the spam persists, and the host does nothing after receiving more warnings, the ip range widens, and then the "innocents" get sucked in. Many unethical hosts, of which their are quite a few on this board have no problem mixing their pet spammers with their lower paying legit customers, and guess what?........ SPAMHAUS are the bitches for listing a legitimate source of abuse , and the spammers and their complicit host get a free pass.

If ISPs and individuals found no value in Spamhaus, they would be gone tomorrow. They CHOOSE to use RBL's because it reasonably effective tool to block the billions of junk emails the bottom feeders of this industry, and other scumbags constantly try to force upon us.