What kind of spam do YOU want today?

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.msnbc.com/news/753687.asp?0dm=B12KT">http://www.msnbc.com/news/753687.asp?0dm=B12KT</a><br /><br />In March, I told you about <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=731">Yahoo and their spammage.</a> Well, apparently someone in MS's Hotmail/Passport department read the message, but didn't <i>get</i> the message. "MSN Hotmail users may be surprised to learn that Microsoft Corp. currently has permission to share their e-mail address, birthday, zip code, and occupation with virtually any of its business partners. Hotmail users exploring their e-mail setting have discovered two new options, both now checked “yes” by default for most: “Share My e-mail address” and “Share My other registration information.” Microsoft says Hotmail customers had agreed to share such information when they accepted the company’s privacy policy, and the check boxes are actually a privacy enhancement that offers new options to limit the sharing of the data."<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hotmailspam.gif" /><br /><br />To turn off these settings, go to your Hotmail account, select Options across the top, then Personal Profile and scroll to the bottom of the page.<br /><br />{rant}This is totally inexcusable. "Users who sign up for Hotmail today will find all three boxes are unchecked by default, a sign that Microsoft is committed to giving users more control over where their information is distributed, he said. But everyone who signed up before the personal setting change — a large proportion of Hotmail’s estimated 110 million users — currently has the privacy settings set to give Microsoft permission to share the data."<br /><br />Committed!?! That spokesperson should be committed to an asylum for believing that line. If they were truly committed, they would have turned these settings off by default for the over 100,000,000 users. That's right, ONE HUNDRED MILLION HOTMAIL USERS! Now, I like Microsoft. They make great products. Yes, they have bugs in them, but so does approximately 100% of other software out there. MS just takes the brunt of the jokes because they have about 95% market share with many of their product lines. However, Microsoft has a long way to go to earn the consumer's trust because of tactics like this and security breaches. Recall last fall that all of your passport information was available to some hackers that simply knew your passport email address, usually a Hotmail account. I purchased Office 95 because it was superior to Lotus Development's offerings at the time. I prefer Microsoft Money to Quicken. And here is a shocker. I love the Pocket PC! <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif" /> I use Microsoft's online services too, out of choice because I find them superior in many repects to the competition. I visit <a href="http://www.expedia.com">Expedia</a> several times a month to book my flights or get maps. I use <a href="http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/home.asp">Microsoft Investor</a> quite a bit and have for several years, even when I had to pay for some of the premium services, but I refuse to store my data on their server. I suspect this was a big reason the My Services portion of .NET was killed last month. Who wants to store all of their info on Microsoft's server? The truth is I would <i><b>love</b></i> to be able to. Log onto any PC anywhere and access my data. The reality is though, until MS buttons up their security and quits changing their privacy policy behind my back, they will get minimal information on me. <br /><br />"In retrospect, we probably could have done a better job of communicating that to folks," Sohn said. "We’re figuring out right now what’s the best way we can make sure people understand." Mr. Sohn, I have an idea. Give your privacy department our Hotmail email address and let them email us the communication. I'd rather get that as opposed to an unsolicited email helping me get a 'University Diploma'.<br /><br />I am sure someone in the Hotmail/Passport/MSN marketing department is merrily singing <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/lovelyspam.wav">Lovely Spam</a> as they skip down the halls, but it is hurting Microsoft's reputation, and ultimately, their wallet. We simply do not want SPAM. We didn't want it <a href="http://www.ironworks.com/comedy/python/spam.htm">hundreds of years ago</a>, and we don't want it today.{/rant} <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/images/smiles/icon_mad.gif" /> Thanks to Humphrey to filling us in on this.

[Mr. Anonymous]

Great info, thanks Ed! I check my spam-filled Hotmail account, and both of these options were checked for me. I wonder if unchecking them will start to cut down on the roughly 60-100 pieces of junkmail I get every day...

[Inventor]

Thanks for the tip. I will fix it right now.

This morning I opened OutLook and I was looking for the "Clear Spam from Server" button instead of the "Send/Recieve" button... I guess it was early. :D

BTW: I remember Yahoo has a problem like this. How do I shut that off
also?

[dma1965]

Yep, I noticed this bullcrap several days ago quite by accident. My Hotmail accounted degenerated into a spam bucket long ago, and I spend literally an hour a day at least forwarding ALL SPAM to the Federal Trade Commisson at [email protected] . This is just another case of Microsoft knowing what is best for us. I just don't understand why a company with a $40 billion cash reserves sees the need to spam its users. Is it not bad enough that we have to license every last user to use their software at ridiculously high prices ? I fully believe in a free market economy, and do not agree with the justice department's attack on Windows, but hope they are forced to pay anyway only because they take the liberty to piss us off at every possible opportunity. I think spam is annoying, disgusting, and a disgrace to the internet world, and, even though I sometimes see products hawked to me through spam that I would like to buy, I absolutely NEVER buy anything offered to me through spam. I consider it the equivalent of a whore on the streets of Vegas offering me a toss in the hay for cash. I may think she has a fine body, and may have the money to burn, but personally find it an affront to have my privacy invaded, SO NO SALE, EVER !!!!! I had considered paying for extra Hotmail storage until this happened, but they have lost this sale for sure. :evil: :evil: :evil:

[Arne Hess]

I've checked my German Passport accounts (2) and nothing was checked fortunately but it was checked on my US Hotmail account too... :evil:

[w39ppc]

... so you like Microsoft? You think their products are great? You like to support a monopoly? And still you don't like to get spam via a monopolists email channels? Doesn't that seem a little bit weird? Cry with the wolves and take the disadvantages ore look for something better (LINUX?).....

[Arne Hess]

... so you like Microsoft? You think their products are great?
To like a product-line doesn't mean to be conform with all/the whole philosophie(s)

Cry with the wolves and take the disadvantages ore look for something better (LINUX?).....

Oh come on, not again (and not here also) this: “With Linux it wouldn’t happen” like I see every day at Heise.de and Golem.de… :x

[BevHoward]

Bravo for the alert.

MS and others appear to proceed on the assumption that they can base standards and practices on the guess that the bulk of the users are clueless and the remainder can be easily dismissed if we notice and complain.

Our (USA) legislature is currently so focused on the green and greed of the big boys "digital rights" that they appear to be totally unaware of the time and energy that hundreds of millions of us are forced to waste dealing with spam, unsolicited porn, virus attacks and telephone solicitation, that one can only hope that some day, they too will pay the price for their turned backs.

Beverly Howard

[DaleReeck]

... so you like Microsoft? You think their products are great? You like to support a monopoly? And still you don't like to get spam via a monopolists email channels? Doesn't that seem a little bit weird? Cry with the wolves and take the disadvantages ore look for something better (LINUX?).....

Actually, I do support monopolies, at least in the computer industry. It's hard enought to support Windows and it's various flavors in a network environment. If Windows, OS2, Mac and networks like NT, Netware and Unix all had equal shares, it would be a nitemare. Not just to support, but to certify for. I have an MCSE as well as a Netware CNE certification and getting and maintaining those are a real pain. Besides, does anyone think prices would be cheaper or products better if there was competition? The computer industry is made up of a bunch of master scam artists. Nothing would be different if M$ had competition. For a while, MS did have serious competition from Novell and SCO. Was anything different back then? Not that I remember. If it wasn't Microsoft, it would be someone else.

As far as junk email goes, I have a email address I always give out for such purposes. On average, I get about 50-60 junk emails a day at that address, a lot of them from porn sites. Since I don't visit porn sites or give them my email address, obviously these "business partners" will sell to anyone. The sites I visit are Microsoft, Adobe, RealPlayer and alike. It's hard to believe that they deal with the scum of the earth like they do. Which goes to what I said earlier - the computer industry is run by scam artists.

[Pony99CA]

"MSN Hotmail users may be surprised to learn that Microsoft Corp. currently has permission to share their e-mail address, birthday, zip code, and occupation with virtually any of its business partners. Hotmail users exploring their e-mail setting have discovered two new options, both now checked ?yes? by default for most: ?Share My e-mail address? and ?Share My other registration information.? Microsoft says Hotmail customers had agreed to share such information when they accepted the company?s privacy policy, and the check boxes are actually a privacy enhancement that offers new options to limit the sharing of the data."

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hotmailspam.gif


First, I don't like Microsoft. I think they are a company that abuses its monopoly, and I think that, for the most part, they make "me too" products.

Second, I despise spam. I think anyone that sends unsolicited commercial E-mail without having a prior relationship with you should be castrated.

However, did anyone actually read the above message box? This information is shared only if you sign on to a Web site with your Passport account. The information is not just sold to anybody that wants to pay for it.

Also, if what Microsoft says is true, all of this information was disclosed in the past when you logged onto a site with your Passport, so it really is giving you more control. Having these items default to being checked will not disclose anything more than was previously being disclosed.

Of course, this is dependent on whether you believe Microsoft. And, of course, nothing prevents them from changing any privacy policies later. But if you don't trust Microsoft, why are you using Passport in the first place? BWAHAHAHA

Steve

[Don't Panic!]

Loved the Python bits Ed, How'd you do that wav thing? Spam Spam Spam Spam, Spam Spam Spam Spam, Lovely Spam wonderful Spam... :D Any truth to the rumor that the originator of the word spam for unsolicited e-mail was a Pythonite?

Don't Panic!
Bobby

[IanG]

Pony99 - I'm with you on this - I get so much spam in my hotmail every day (nearly 100 over a weekend), but see this as more of a feature of Passport.

All these choices do is let other sites use your Hotmail info rather than you having to complete a separate registration. The information is shared when you sign-in at other sites - you'd have to give them your name and an email address to sign up anyway.

As for Ed's idea of hotmail sending the info out in an email - how could we distinguish it from all the other spam we get in our accounts? ;-)

Ian G

[Ed Hansberry]

Loved the Python bits Ed, How'd you do that wav thing? Spam Spam Spam Spam, Spam Spam Spam Spam, Lovely Spam wonderful Spam... :D Any truth to the rumor that the originator of the word spam for unsolicited e-mail was a Pythonite?

Google is a wonderful thing. :lol:

Pony99 - I'm with you on this - I get so much spam in my hotmail every day (nearly 100 over a weekend), but see this as more of a feature of Passport.

As far as I know, you cannot log into hotmail without a passport. I too think it is more closely related to Passport, but since your email address in passport is likely, though not in all cases, your hotmail account, this is where the spam goes.

I feel sorry for those that used their real email account with passport. They get spammed there. :(

[Pony99CA]

I feel sorry for those that used their real email account with passport. They get spammed there.


I use my "real" E-mail account with Passport (actually my E-mail forwarding account which forwards everything to my real E-mail address), and I haven't noticed any real spam increases. I don't even have a Hotmail account.

I never used Passport for much, though, except occasionally visiting an MSN user group and maybe once or twice on eCommerce sites. Now, I have to use Passport to use Microsoft Money 2002, but I don't think I get any spam through that.

I may get about 10 spams per day (unless this one idiot "John" spams me -- he sends 12 or more pieces of identical crap at a time). Typically, I get one or two porno site spams, one or two mortgage ads, a government grant eBook ad, one or two computer ads (WinFix, Internet Detective), and one or two online pharmacy ads. Throw in an occasional ads for get-rich-quick schemes, dentists, online casinos or E-mail address lists, and that's my spam.

It sucks, but I have a pretty decent filter system, including filtering anything that doesn't include my E-mail address in the To: or Cc: fields.

Steve

[Kemas]

Okay, don't know why... maybe because I use MSN as my back-up dial-up; but I don't have a Personal Profile to choose from. guess I have to use their special MSN dialer to change that. Anyone know?

[Trade Wind]

Okay, don't know why... maybe because I use MSN as my back-up dial-up; but I don't have a Personal Profile to choose from. guess I have to use their special MSN dialer to change that. Anyone know?

MSNIA Subscribers, MSN Explorer users, or 'free' users who have an account with an @msn.com extension do not have a personal profile on MSN Hotmail. Your .NET Passport Profile resides @ the .NET Passport site.

Visit https://register.passport.com/editprof.srf?lc=1033 to update your .NET Passport Profile.

[Jonathan1]

but it is hurting Microsoft's reputation

LOL. :lol: What reputation? You mean the reputation for strong-arming everyone they do business with to keep them from using competitor software? Or the reputation for creating software products that have more security holes then a drunk rent-a-copy protecting a mall. Or how about MS reputation for shoddily implementing industry standards with their own VERSION of it. This is just another feather in the cap of the MS juggernaut. Doesn't matter what they do the windows machine will continue to roll on.

PS- I use Hotmail as a standard placeholder for my real e-mail address when joining forums and such but even then I get more junk e-mail then humanly imaginable. (100+ per day) Consequently my account is filled to its max limit of e-mail within 1-2 days time. I'm just about ready to start forwarding all these e-mail onto Hotmail's customer service. Enjoy guys.

[Don't Panic!]

I would just like to say that this is my second time appearing in this thread. Spam Spam Spam Spam, Spam Spam Spam Spam, Lovely Spam wonderful Spam... :lol:

Don't Panic!
Bobby

[bbarker]

None of those boxes were checked in my Hotmail account, and I don't remember ever unchecking them. I've had that account for several years.