Declan McCullagh’s latest column on CNet News is entitled Doublespeak About Spam and in it he “tells the real story behind the Direct Marketing Association’s case that unsolicited e-mail entreaties shouldn’t be considered spam.” I had this response to him:
Very interesting article because of the way you brought out the DMA information, which is usually overlooked in the articles I’ve read on spam. Still, a couple of points:
1. Why didn’t you publish Wientzen’s work email address in the article to force him into the current system rather than allowing him to opt out, as he apparently does? He and his members obviously aren’t giving the rest of us the same choice.
2. More significant to me, I think the crux of this issue stems from the fact that the Supreme Court ruled (I know, this was back in the 1880s) that corporations are people too when it comes to most legal considerations. As someone who’s pondered this issue for many years, I still don’t agree with it. Corporations are not people and should not have the same rights as people; the legal should be updated to define them and their rights as a separate and unequal entity. I realize this has absolutely zero chance of happening but still, I think it provides a useful perspective for analyzing this and other issues.
Regards.
BillSaysThis 