BBC spam article featuring aff sites

[max99]

well if you pause the vid at places its clear to see some aff sites featuring

such as freeukstuff.com just one of them

BBC NEWS | Technology | 'Super Spam Me' experiment

freeukstuff features quite a lot in it !

thoughts ?

[deadgoodundies]

thoughts ?

1. Bit of a ugly munter
2. People with optics set up in their house should be shot

Anyone else got any thoughts

[loquax]

Interesting... given that Freeukstuff is Clarke's site I'm sure he'll be able to track down the registration, how it originated etc.

The woman in the clip agrees to notifications from Gumtree... then complains she's receiving notifications.

She clicks to confirm to join a site... then complains.

The problem is "spam" is a catchall for any marketing email and whilst I can understand what the clip/article is suggesting for McAfee and The BBC to put their name to this is pretty poor.

If they wanted to know the origin of spam - and who sells data - then it should have been done in a totally controlled way... letting someone who hasn't the first idea of "spam", using the web, optin emails etc loose on the thing isn't the right way... and it will be interesting to see whether FUS have any legal standpoint for potential damages.

Jason

[Barry]

Thats an absolutely terrible report that is slanderous to Freeukstuff IMO

Ta

Baz

[Supercod]

Totally shocked at what I have just seen, honestly can’t believe the BBC allowed this level of shoddy journalism.

And for the record we just looked in to it, she joined us without knowing did she? She bloody searched for "free stuff" on Google, we have recorded her static IP both requesting to join on 9th April and then joined on the 12th April the referal being from http://webmail.mcafeespamexperiment.com/ we recorded browser used also and anyone that is a member of any of my sites will know we send out at max 1 email every week called a members newsletter to funnily enough members only, never have and never will sell or co-reg any of my members to anything.. honestly I can't belivie we have been slated like this by the BBC!

[mrflumps]

Seems to be a very unproffesional way to get a point across by plastering up sites which may or maynot have anything to do with the spam

I wonder if they asked permission before doing so, and how would the bbc like it if we did a video on a subject without asking

If someone is going to register to recieve updates from gumtree, you need to expect to recieve more than you want... unless it does ask you want subject area?

Even so, the video is flawed and a joke. If a video is to be made on a subject, dont tell it just from one side of the fence

[Barry]

I think a complaint is in order there mate.

I am not denying there are some shoddy spamming bastards out there like has been said, but Clarke in my online experience ain't one of them, infact the reverse I would say. IMO members of this forum like Clarke + many others others on here are in the for-front of internet 'regulation' against these types of practices.

Ta

baz

[ChristopherB]

In the past 48 hours I’ve visited almost a hundred websites, registering as a customer, asking to be put on mailing lists, and filling in surveys. I’ve clicked on URL’s and received confirmation that I’m registered

So it's not just one or two of the freebie sites, in one day almost 100 websites, with most absolute dire i bet. Anyways signing up to any 100 sites a day is gonna get you spam no doubt about it.

their blogs;

mcafee experiment 2008 April

[tbp]

Must be a slow news day, everyone knows spam is a fact of life on the net, its not a new thing.

I get over 1000 spam emails a day, and thats looking after my email address and not signing up to any old the thing. Yes companies are obviously selling on your email address, but unfortuantely theres very little you can do about it, as its untraceable.

I think that the main focus of the report should of been on the idiots who buy from spam emails. If people stopped buying from them, then all the viagra, penis extension etc emails would stop in a relatively short space of time, as the spammers have to pay to send them out (even through botnets). Although theres a takeup of 0.02% or less, when they are sending out millions then they still get a decent amount of money.

Same with the "I need to transfer $600 billion dollars into your bank account" emails. If the stupid greedy mugs stopped falling for them, they wouldn't be sent.

That report has done nothing to help the situation. If they educated people to ignore these emails and not to pay strangers money and buy drugs that are very unlikely to be the real thing, it could of actually helped reduce spam in the long run.

[Indigo]

Why was she surprised that she was getting every single posting from Gumtree when she subscribed to receive email postings? - She hasn't a clue, I would imagine Gumtree are not happy with that coverage either as it unfairly (assuming they don't sell your email address to 3rd parties) shows them as a spam site to avoid too.

[findlite]

Totally shocked at what I have just seen, honestly can’t believe the BBC allowed this level of shoddy journalism.

And for the record we just looked in to it, she joined us without knowing did she? She bloody searched for "free stuff" on Google, we have recorded her static IP both requesting to join on 9th April and then joined on the 12th April the referal being from Plesk Web Mail Client we recorded browser used also and anyone that is a member of any of my sites will know we send out at max 1 email every week called a members newsletter to funnily enough members only, never have and never will sell or co-reg any of my members to anything.. honestly I can't belivie we have been slated like this by the BBC!

Time to call the solicitors me thinks, start building a case for damages bring it on baby !!!

[amisuggests]

This is an excellent example of how thick some people are!

She put the ad and email address on gum tree. She confirmed by clicking on the confirmation link that she wanted to opt in to the service

Now she is complaining that she was opted in

Am I missing something here

[mejorantes]

This is an excellent example of how thick some people are!

She put the ad and email address on gum tree. She confirmed by clicking on the confirmation link that she wanted to opt in to the service

Now she is complaining that she was opted in

Am I missing something here

I think she said that she then unsubscribed a week later but the mails kept coming from gumtree.......

[TheBoyMitchell]

Totally shocked at what I have just seen, honestly can’t believe the BBC allowed this level of shoddy journalism.

And for the record we just looked in to it, she joined us without knowing did she? She bloody searched for "free stuff" on Google, we have recorded her static IP both requesting to join on 9th April and then joined on the 12th April the referal being from Plesk Web Mail Client we recorded browser used also and anyone that is a member of any of my sites will know we send out at max 1 email every week called a members newsletter to funnily enough members only, never have and never will sell or co-reg any of my members to anything.. honestly I can't belivie we have been slated like this by the BBC!

Is that referral address right Clarke? Cos if it is, then she is no innocent web user - it sounds like a Press Release that Mcafee have put in place. If so you have a substantial case for libel against them. I may be wrong, but it looks like Mcafee set up an experiment to test their stuff, and used the result to generate information to promote their stuff, and then got it picked up by news people. The fact that there is no reporter asking questions confirms it in my opinion.

Incredible.

[csn]

Time to call the solicitors me thinks, start building a case for damages bring it on baby !!!

Agreed. The video makes it look like free uk stuff is the culprit for all the spam she's receiving. I'd be tempted to send a quick letter to their legal department from your legal department! Not sure how well it would work but given that people here are calling this slanderous, you may get some where.