[Foundation-l] spamming of the english wikipedia users detected

[Robert Horning]

Mark Williamson wrote:
> No, it isn't.
>
> By being associated with Wikipedia, and checking the little box to
> accept "Wikipedia e-mails", these people acknowledged that they were
> OK to receive this targetted mailing.
>
> Mark
>
>   

I can cope with it if it is "opt-in".  Over the years I've subscribed to 
various things using my e-mail address including banks, schools, and 
other institutions, with the intention of giving them my e-mail address 
for very legitimate emergency content information including my phone 
number and street mailing address... and even other emergency contact 
information in case they can't get ahold of me through these channels.

My sad experience is that far too often these mailing addresses are far 
too tempting and can have a huge incentive to take this information and 
format it into a database explicitly designed for spamvertisements of 
all kinds, including by people I don't have a clue about but I have a 
pretty good idea where they got the information from.

Again, I'll say it, this particular e-mail for this particular purpose 
isn't a huge problem.  Yes, Jimbo, I'm going to assume good faith here 
and note this was a very positive application of something like this.  
But it should be limited to an incredible degree and kept to something 
that is very seldom used.  If ever again.  And put in huge disincentives 
for its use such as perhaps even a policy that any such mass mailings 
would have to get explicit WMF board approval before they are sent out 
in this manner.  I'm serious about this too!  If it is important enough 
to get a vote by the board, it is likely important enough to send in 
this fashion.

If the WMF wanted to make some quick cash, I'm sure that this particular 
list of e-mail addresses is very valuable and could be sold to a 
marketing company for some substantial amounts of money.  And its value 
would be runied forever afterward as well.  This is one of those areas 
where it is fine to assume good faith, but once that faith is lost it 
will be nearly impossible to recover from it.  And having Wikimedia 
users forever distrustful of the WMF board and/or project 
administrators.  The internet e-mail system is already broken almost to 
the point of near uselessness as it is, and the WMF should be a party to 
encouraging ethical use of this system and not add to the problem.

I do remember internet e-mail before there was spam.  And sharing 
computer software before there were viruses.  Perhaps this dates me, but 
some changes aren't always for the better.

-- Robert Horning