TheGlobe.com to host spam summit
The online community is hosting an interactive conference on spam to foster dialogue between pro- and antispammers as well as its members.
The hour-long conference, scheduled for 4 p.m. PT, will feature a panel of figures from both sides of the issue. The five-member panel includes former "Spam King" Sanford Wallace; Ray Everett-Church, president of antispam advocacy group the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email; Eugene Volokh, professor of law at UCLA; David Rand, chief technology officer of Internet connectivity firm Above.net; Steve Krein, president of online promotions firm WebStakes; and David Sorkin, assistant professor specializing in technology and privacy law at John Marshall Law School.
Spam is an ongoing,
hotly contested issue for Netizens. Net monitoring firm Matrix Information and Directory Services estimates that 120 million people use email, and most consider junk email to be its biggest drawback.
Antispammers decry the often dishonest practices of spammers, such as using phony return addresses and failing to honor users' requests to be removed from mass email lists. ISPs and online services have repeatedly sued spammers, and Congress claims to be making progress in its quest to pass legislation to curb spam.
New members of TheGlobe.com are required to register for the event by filling out an information form. Once registered, participants can submit questions to the panelists. The Globe will then select questions it deems appropriate to present to the panel.
The conference will begin with introductions from each member, lasting about 15 minutes. For the remainder of the hour, panelists will answer selected questions by members of the Globe community.