AOL sues porn spammers
The online service continues its push to slow the rush of junk email to its network with a suit alleging that two firms sent its members ads for adult sites.
This time, it is suing two Michigan companies that focus on sending AOL members to pornographic sites.
AOL announced today that on January 22 it filed a suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. AOL is seeking an injunction to stop LCGM Incorporated and Web Promo Incorporated, both of Madison Heights, Michigan, from sending its users junk email. AOL is seeking damages from both companies, which are owned and operated by the same individuals, according to AOL.
Spammers--businesses that send mass emailings across the Internet in hopes of getting a few money-generating responses--have long targeted AOL customers.
The same things that make AOL attractive to its customers also make it attractive to junk emailers: AOL has more members than any other service--11 million and counting, according to the company. Email addresses of many of its customers are readily available through user profiles and chat rooms as well as several mailing lists on the market. And AOL, because it is user-friendly, attracts more mainstream, less Net-savvy users who sometimes are more receptive to junk email.
But while a few people do respond to junk email, many users complain about the constant onslaught they get, especially after they visit chat rooms and other areas on AOL where their screen names are exposed for all to see.
AOL has increasingly used the court system to get rid of spam, targeting specific companies. While the courts have generally ruled in AOL's favor, the problem is that even as some junk emailers are put out of commission, others are jumping into the business, because there are few barriers to entry. Generally, all it takes to send junk email is a few hundred dollars for programs and connectivity. Spammers tend to jump from one network to the next after violating the almost ubiquitous antispam rules.
Many who are fighting against spam have said that the only solution they can see for now is the legal system--not just in the form of lawsuits, but also with legislation. Even that solution is full of problems, however. If junk email is banned outright in the United States, spammers could easily head to networks outside the country.
For right now, however, AOL is taking aim at spammers one at a time, using a currently available legal recourse--litigation.
AOL is charging in its current suit that the two defendants violated federal and state laws by spamming AOL members with advertisements from several domains, including "live-video-sex.com," "pornjunkie.com," and "hot-sex.com."
The companies have more than 70 domain names registered with the InterNIC, the vast majority of which appear to be pornographic in nature.