CAN-SPAM / SpamCop Question

[DCSmooth]

Since CAN-spam went into effect, I've thankfully received much fewer UCE messages. But about half of the ones I'm receiving now appear to do a *SLOPPY* job of complying with the new law. I'm somewhat confused what still constitutes reportable spam anymore because of this.

The most obvious example of what I'm talking about is the postal address requirement of CAN-spam. I get many UCE messages now that end with what at first glance appears to be a garbled line of random words and characters. But at closer inspection, it's a postal address with all of the spaces between the words removed and several random periods added. For example, here's an actual one that I received today verbatim:

92256Oakhurst.vannista-37745.UA

One I received yesterday was worse, with decimal points randomly placed in the zip code and street address, and spaces added in the middle of some words, such as "av.En Ue".

CAN-spam also required opt-out instructions and non-deceptive subject lines. So, here's my question:

When I get a UCE message with a vaguely worded link to "Forget it" as an option to Opt-Out, a subject line that reads simply "Big?" which vaguely hints at the advertised subject matter, and a postal address in a difficult-to-interpret format as described above, DO I REPORT IT TO SPAMCOP? Or would I just be annoying someone somewhere with an unneccessary report for an e-mail that (arguably) complies with the law?

Thanks in advance,

Dan

[StevenUnderwood]

1. I am glad that CAN-spam is helping someone. Of the spam that gets by spamcop (only a few per day) I have seen exactly 2 that even attempted to comply with the regulations.

2. As far as reporting, CAN-spam does not prevent you from reporting every piece of spam, whether it is compliant or not. In fact it specifically allows for the use of bl's.

If it is Unsolicited, Bulk Email it can nad should be reported.

[Jeff G.]

Only a particular reportee ISP gets to decide whether or not a piece of email violates that ISP's TOS or AUP, and only the US Government (in some manner as yet undetermined) gets to decide whether that same piece of email violates CAN-spam. Who are we to censor their full view of the problem?

It is on this basis that I continue to report as much spam as I have time to report, despite CAN-spam. I suggest that you do the same.

[DCSmooth]

Thanks to you both. That's what I basically thought, just thought this was a good place to check. I'll keep reporting 'em!

StevenUnderwood - so, by your point #1 do you mean to imply that my case of getting much less spam in the Post-CAN-spam era is rare case? I'd assumed most people were enjoying this decrease.

Up until mid-December I was receiving AT LEAST thirty a day in my Hotmail account, and then suddenly I didn't receive a single one until shortly after New Year's, and several of my friends noticed similar trends. I know that top-ten spammer from Virginia was caught about the same time too, so I wasn't sure if my decreased spam had more to do with that or with CAN-spam. Now I'm receiving at most three in a day, but usually just one. And I haven't received a pornographic one at all so far in 2004 (knock on wood).

Thanks again for the help,

Dan

[StevenUnderwood]

There have been many reports that hotmail accounts are receiving much less spam, possibly due to CAN-spam, but more likely due to some filtering being done.

I still receive ~75 spam from 11 PM to 8 AM every day and over 100 for every 24 hour period. I do not hve a hotmail account.

[Jeff G.]

So far this month, I've been reporting 700-1000 spam emails per day.

[AlphaCentauri]

So far this month, I've been reporting 700-1000 spam emails per day.

That's great. But how do you confirm so many? It's so slow waiting for each one to come up on the website. Is there a faster way I need to know about?