Spammer didn’t realise he was doing something illegal
ITWeb has an article reporting on how a local man who sold his database of email addresses to spammers has pleaded ignorance when he was informed that his activities are illegal:
A local man who attempted to sell databases of e-mail addresses to spammers has pleaded ignorance, saying he did not know that such activity is illegal.
Franchoa Giliomee, a director of E-Business Solutions, has been spamming thousands of individuals, inviting them to buy his database lists, which range from 5 000 addresses (for R300) to 20 000 addresses (for R1 000).
“I was under the impression it was normal marketing,??? Giliomee said this morning. “I got into some trouble and my account was suspended – but I did not profit from [the venture].???
Greycell, Giliomee’s service provider suspended his account when it discovered his illicit activities and just as well. A service provider that knowing allows such activities to continue could find itself on the wrong side of the law.
The Electronic Communications Act doesn’t outlaw unsolicited messages, per se, but it does require that those messages contain opt-out mechanisms to allow recipients to choose not to receive those messages in future as well as certain identifying information in the messages. There is a pretty good guide to dealing with spam on the Internet Service Provider’s Association website.
Tags: spam, electronic communications and transactions act, ispa, ect act, selling email addresses
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