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Threat of AOL Spam Attack Dropped

Junk e-mail consortium that tried to force AOL into bargaining for spam hit by user outrage.

By Brian McWilliams, PCWorld   

Last week, the NOIC said it would post the e-mail addresses of 5 million AOL members at its Web site this Thursday unless AOL agreed to talk with the NOIC about letting the organization%squots members send unsolicited e-mail, or spam, to AOL members.

AOL refused to cooperate, but NOIC%squots president, Joe Melle, said that wasn%squott why his group decided to drop its threat. Instead, he said it was the thousands of messages he received from AOL members.

%dquotThe reason [the AOL members] gave was that these addresses would be available to anybody, and they were afraid of getting adult material [because] they%squotve got kids on AOL,%dquot said Melle. %dquotAnd I understand that completely. ... We can pretty much make sure [NOIC members] use our guidelines, [but] by posting the names we have no control. In spite of what AOL thinks, we are a responsible business organization, so we honor the requests of AOL%squots members.%dquot

Melle says his organization doesn%squott allow members to send spam for pornography or get-rich-quick schemes. He says the NOIC is trying to make e-mail an effective marketing tool for legitimate small businesses, without burdening ISPs or Internet users.

Melle says he threatened to publish the list of AOL e-mail addresses mostly to get attention for his side of the story, which is that AOL has a double standard by prohibiting junk e-mail aimed at its members while it bombards them with its own pop-up ands and other solicitations.

The tactic appears to have backfired, however. Not only did AOL refuse to blink, but the group also incurred the wrath of antispam activists on the Internet.

%dquotI don%squott think we%squotre terrorists,%dquot said Melle. %dquotI think terrorists are the people that e-mail bomb our accounts, send us viruses, leave death threats on our voice mail in the middle of the night. ... A couple of months ago we got a letter in the mail and there was dog crap in it. I mean, this is for sending an e-mail. People are wishing us the worst and hoping we die, [hoping] we get cancer or die in our sleep, you know, you name it.%dquot

Melle says he hasn%squott heard from AOL about his proposal to set up an opt-out list for AOL members.