MeFi is not for Spam? October 30, 2008 12:22 AM Subscribe
Not cool - using your MeFi account to harvest email addresses of people who you disagree with, so you can sign them up to mailing lists? That's gotta be out of order, right?
(in the event the post goes away:
Just a note that there's someone hiding behind the IP address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx who is putting people's email addresses on spam farms associated with hate groups. So if you have your email address in your profile, I suggest removing it.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:31 PM on October 30 [+] [!] )
(in the event the post goes away:
Just a note that there's someone hiding behind the IP address xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx who is putting people's email addresses on spam farms associated with hate groups. So if you have your email address in your profile, I suggest removing it.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 6:31 PM on October 30 [+] [!] )
The IP address in question is a proxy server (www.freeproxyserver.net), so it won't be all that easy for the admins to identify the account held by the culprit.
posted by RichardP at 12:45 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by RichardP at 12:45 AM on October 30, 2008
No, I'm not suggesting Blazecock is the culprit. Sorry if that's unclear.
posted by rodgerd at 1:15 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by rodgerd at 1:15 AM on October 30, 2008
This could happen at any time, and it's impossible to tell who might be doing it due to the shared IP - so......I guess the message of the day is don't list your email address on teh internets? Ok, done.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 1:39 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by The Light Fantastic at 1:39 AM on October 30, 2008
Shame. I'm only waiting on "Hate Group Spam Farmer" in my game of Blazecock Pileon Accusation Bingo.
posted by Jofus at 1:47 AM on October 30, 2008 [5 favorites]
posted by Jofus at 1:47 AM on October 30, 2008 [5 favorites]
Here is the original warning:
Just a note that there's someone hiding behind the IP address 64.72.123.89 who is putting people's email addresses on spam farms associated with hate groups. So if you have your email address in your profile, I suggest removing it.
Only those with Mefi accounts can see others email addresses, so it's a shame that we may have to remove our email addresses from our profiles because of abusive Mefites who resort to this kind of anonymous, cowardly behavior, but so it goes.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:05 AM on October 30, 2008
Just a note that there's someone hiding behind the IP address 64.72.123.89 who is putting people's email addresses on spam farms associated with hate groups. So if you have your email address in your profile, I suggest removing it.
Only those with Mefi accounts can see others email addresses, so it's a shame that we may have to remove our email addresses from our profiles because of abusive Mefites who resort to this kind of anonymous, cowardly behavior, but so it goes.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:05 AM on October 30, 2008
I'm gonna have to agree that that's very not cool.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:18 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:18 AM on October 30, 2008
Only those with Mefi accounts can see others email addresses, so it's a shame that we may have to remove our email addresses from our profiles because of abusive Mefites who resort to this kind of anonymous, cowardly behavior, but so it goes.
Abusive and Mefites do not belong in the same sentence. Abusive and soon-to-be-ex-Mefites will probably be the case one one of the powers-that-be cottons to the situation.
posted by pjern at 2:19 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Abusive and Mefites do not belong in the same sentence. Abusive and soon-to-be-ex-Mefites will probably be the case one one of the powers-that-be cottons to the situation.
posted by pjern at 2:19 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
I don't get it - someone is seeing who comments in threads like that (or just at MeFi in general) and then adding them to spam lists?
posted by Jofus at 2:21 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Jofus at 2:21 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Sorry, I mean as in *manually* adding them; flipping through profiles and doing a copy and paste?
posted by Jofus at 2:22 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by Jofus at 2:22 AM on October 30, 2008
BP. I had to remove your comment there since its a derail. I think Metatalk is the proper place for this.
posted by vacapinta at 2:24 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by vacapinta at 2:24 AM on October 30, 2008
True that it's a derail but if people commenting in that thread are getting spam because they are commenting in that thread should there not be a warning in that thread? wow, I say thread a lot.
posted by dabitch at 2:45 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by dabitch at 2:45 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Abusive and soon-to-be-ex-Mefites will probably be the case one one of the powers-that-be cottons to the situation.
To be fair to the moderators, I doubt there is much they could do.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:55 AM on October 30, 2008
To be fair to the moderators, I doubt there is much they could do.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 2:55 AM on October 30, 2008
You should probably have left the warning in, vacapinta. By the time people read this, it may be too late.
posted by Malor at 3:06 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by Malor at 3:06 AM on October 30, 2008
Seconding Jofus's surprised request for confirmation. Somebody has to be pretty angry-bored-stupid to spend time on this fruitless, tedious project.
(MetaFilter: angry-bored-stupid)
posted by DU at 3:52 AM on October 30, 2008
(MetaFilter: angry-bored-stupid)
posted by DU at 3:52 AM on October 30, 2008
Can mods see when someone accesses a user page? I'd think anybody who accesses more than ten or twenty user pages in a short time has less than honorable intentions. Especially if they're also a new member....
posted by anotherpanacea at 3:53 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by anotherpanacea at 3:53 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
I like it when "cotton" is used as a verb.
posted by chillmost at 4:30 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by chillmost at 4:30 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
I will pray for that email harvester... to get nut cancer and die.
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:37 AM on October 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:37 AM on October 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
Haha! Foiled the bastards again--I never check my email!
posted by Joseph Gurl at 4:45 AM on October 30, 2008 [7 favorites]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 4:45 AM on October 30, 2008 [7 favorites]
And people said I was an asshole because I didn't put my email in my profile.
posted by Pollomacho at 4:50 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by Pollomacho at 4:50 AM on October 30, 2008
Can mods see when someone accesses a user page?
Not reliably, I'll wager.
I just checked my spam folder to see if there was anything more hatey than usual in there and I've actually got one that offers to make my sex toys bigger and firmer.
So its business as usual in there for now.
posted by Jofus at 5:01 AM on October 30, 2008
Not reliably, I'll wager.
I just checked my spam folder to see if there was anything more hatey than usual in there and I've actually got one that offers to make my sex toys bigger and firmer.
So its business as usual in there for now.
posted by Jofus at 5:01 AM on October 30, 2008
"someone [...] is putting people's email addresses on spam farms associated with hate groups"
Can anyone confirm this? Or is this just BP? It seems unliklely to me that random people would get this treatment. I'm picking up lots of FUD here and not much facts.
posted by Ragma at 5:38 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Can anyone confirm this? Or is this just BP? It seems unliklely to me that random people would get this treatment. I'm picking up lots of FUD here and not much facts.
posted by Ragma at 5:38 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
I just checked my spam folder to see if there was anything more hatey than usual in there and I've actually got one that offers to make my sex toys bigger and firmer.
Oh, sorry, check it now Jofus, I think I spelled the address wrong the first go-round.
posted by Pollomacho at 5:48 AM on October 30, 2008 [3 favorites]
Oh, sorry, check it now Jofus, I think I spelled the address wrong the first go-round.
posted by Pollomacho at 5:48 AM on October 30, 2008 [3 favorites]
Is it BP who was the one who complained about this before in MetaTalk?
posted by smackfu at 5:50 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by smackfu at 5:50 AM on October 30, 2008
One man's "hate group" is another man's "appalled at judicial activism" group. The KKK, for instance, exists mostly to protest judicial activism that forbids them from burning crosses. And so-called "anti-abortion" groups are, in fact, simply mobilized by the egregious judicial activism that made it illegal for them to shoot doctors.
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:53 AM on October 30, 2008 [15 favorites]
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:53 AM on October 30, 2008 [15 favorites]
D'oh. But I think that yes, it sucks to spam people, and an abuse of community norms and standards and okayness.
*goes back to drinking coffee*
posted by rtha at 5:59 AM on October 30, 2008
*goes back to drinking coffee*
posted by rtha at 5:59 AM on October 30, 2008
I was thinking of starting a MT thread on this same post to talk about the actual ramifications of the question. I figured it would make more sense to do that here than in the thread, but I don't know that there should be a second MT post on the same AMF post.
Basically, a big part of me doesn't understand why we've had the rash of "zomg concentration camp" answers to anyone who might support McCain/Palin, prop 8, or whatever (not that I support either of these groups), but I want to actually see an intelligent dialogue on the topic.
I read someone's insightful post that prop8 is like a modern jimcrow law, and I kind of realized it's right-ish. I'm really trying to wrap my mind around the classification of groups as minorities and whether or not they need special protections or whether that just makes them more outcast, or if they're even outcast at all.
So...can we have that derail here or should I start a new thread? Really I just want to see non-radical viewpoints on either end and educate myself about the fear both sides seem to harbor.
posted by TomMelee at 6:06 AM on October 30, 2008
Basically, a big part of me doesn't understand why we've had the rash of "zomg concentration camp" answers to anyone who might support McCain/Palin, prop 8, or whatever (not that I support either of these groups), but I want to actually see an intelligent dialogue on the topic.
I read someone's insightful post that prop8 is like a modern jimcrow law, and I kind of realized it's right-ish. I'm really trying to wrap my mind around the classification of groups as minorities and whether or not they need special protections or whether that just makes them more outcast, or if they're even outcast at all.
So...can we have that derail here or should I start a new thread? Really I just want to see non-radical viewpoints on either end and educate myself about the fear both sides seem to harbor.
posted by TomMelee at 6:06 AM on October 30, 2008
I'm really trying to wrap my mind around the classification of groups as minorities and whether or not they need special protections or whether that just makes them more outcast, or if they're even outcast at all.
What special protections are you talking about? Along with "judicial activism," the phrase "special protections" is one of the bugaboos of the right. Demanding equal rights is not the same thing as requesting special protection.
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:21 AM on October 30, 2008 [5 favorites]
What special protections are you talking about? Along with "judicial activism," the phrase "special protections" is one of the bugaboos of the right. Demanding equal rights is not the same thing as requesting special protection.
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:21 AM on October 30, 2008 [5 favorites]
There isn't anything "special" about granting rights to a group that everyone else already has. It isn't "special" to broaden rights. Prop 8 is asking that straight people get "special" rights - the right for their relationships to be legally recognized by the government, and that that right be denied to anyone not in a heterosexual relationship (and who wants to get married).
posted by rtha at 6:23 AM on October 30, 2008 [8 favorites]
posted by rtha at 6:23 AM on October 30, 2008 [8 favorites]
It's the harvest season. I'm harvesting your kidneys.
posted by pracowity at 6:33 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by pracowity at 6:33 AM on October 30, 2008
It's going to be pretty much impossible for us to know (a) if someone is actually doing this and (b) who it is, without some sort of major tell. In principle, this sort of thing could be going on constantly, but it practice it doesn't seem to have happened basically ever. We have had a couple instances where a specific user collected some email to mail to directly (the benign but renowned Wendell Incident, one or two My Marketings, Let Me Show You Them spammers who wrote to two or five folks who answered an askme), but even that is really damned rare.
Which is to say that if it is happening, to anyone, I think that sucks; and, of course, if you want to be absolutely bulletproof from this sort of thing, use a throwaway account or list no email at all in your profile; but I don't believe it's practically much of an issue, and without some sort of larger scale verification it's probably pushing it to presume it has happened in this case. That BP got an email makes it more plausible that it has happened to him, and that sucks itself, but even at that we're kind of stuck here guessing at coincidence-or-not.
Needless to say, if we did find out someone on the site was doing this, that'd be grounds for a hard and permanent ban.
Can mods see when someone accesses a user page? I'd think anybody who accesses more than ten or twenty user pages in a short time has less than honorable intentions. Especially if they're also a new member....
We don't keep detailed logs of this stuff, no.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:56 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Which is to say that if it is happening, to anyone, I think that sucks; and, of course, if you want to be absolutely bulletproof from this sort of thing, use a throwaway account or list no email at all in your profile; but I don't believe it's practically much of an issue, and without some sort of larger scale verification it's probably pushing it to presume it has happened in this case. That BP got an email makes it more plausible that it has happened to him, and that sucks itself, but even at that we're kind of stuck here guessing at coincidence-or-not.
Needless to say, if we did find out someone on the site was doing this, that'd be grounds for a hard and permanent ban.
Can mods see when someone accesses a user page? I'd think anybody who accesses more than ten or twenty user pages in a short time has less than honorable intentions. Especially if they're also a new member....
We don't keep detailed logs of this stuff, no.
posted by cortex (staff) at 6:56 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
I'm putting together an email list on how to deal with this issue. The list will also contain several great deals I have found via the internet that I know you'll love. Keep checking your inbox for details.
posted by blue_beetle at 7:00 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by blue_beetle at 7:00 AM on October 30, 2008
The KKK, for instance, exists mostly to protest judicial activism that forbids them from burning crosses.
In western Pennsylvania, at least, the KKK exists mostly to transport and sell drugs. Burning crosses and hating everyone else is what they do to blow of steam on the weekends.
posted by god hates math at 7:00 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
In western Pennsylvania, at least, the KKK exists mostly to transport and sell drugs. Burning crosses and hating everyone else is what they do to blow of steam on the weekends.
posted by god hates math at 7:00 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
I read someone's insightful post that prop8 is like a modern jimcrow law, and I kind of realized it's right-ish.
One of these creates a second class of citizens with fewer rights. So does the other one.
posted by DU at 7:03 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
One of these creates a second class of citizens with fewer rights. So does the other one.
posted by DU at 7:03 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
I don't get it. How could any one user know that multiple users were being added to hate group mailing lists? How did you work it out, BP?
posted by jack_mo at 7:12 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by jack_mo at 7:12 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
TomMelee writes like those American hipster movie characters I get to see on the big screen via independent (but peripherally associated with Hollywood) films that I have never meet in real life. Cool.
posted by tellurian at 7:19 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by tellurian at 7:19 AM on October 30, 2008
AstroZombie--you're right, absolutely right. I didn't phrase myself correctly, and I wasn't even necessarily talking about gay-rights-to-marraige when I said special protections. Ignore that point for now. Equal rights are equal rights are equal rights, and I believe that fully. Working with families is what I do, and I'd much rather see kids go to someone who loved them than someone who gets wasted and flicks cigarettes at them.
What I really wanted discourse on was the flagrancy of violent language popping up in some of these threads recently.
I guess my overall viewpoint is that fewer laws are better laws, and that we shouldn't define marraige or family or identify any group as a Legal Group (heterosexuals, even as a "family" or whatever) and treat everyone like the same basket of motherfuckers. Does that put me in harmony with the general opinion here?
posted by TomMelee at 7:19 AM on October 30, 2008
What I really wanted discourse on was the flagrancy of violent language popping up in some of these threads recently.
I guess my overall viewpoint is that fewer laws are better laws, and that we shouldn't define marraige or family or identify any group as a Legal Group (heterosexuals, even as a "family" or whatever) and treat everyone like the same basket of motherfuckers. Does that put me in harmony with the general opinion here?
posted by TomMelee at 7:19 AM on October 30, 2008
Tellurian...what? (You said that to the guy who's had lots of haterade dumped on his head for pooping on hipster music FPP's and macbook threads. Maybe that's the self hate coming through?)
posted by TomMelee at 7:21 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by TomMelee at 7:21 AM on October 30, 2008
I'm all for treating everybody like the same basket of motherfuckers.
I haven't seen the violent language your talking about, tom, and I'm curious about it. Assuming it hasn't all been deleted, could you link to or paraphrase some of what your talking about?
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:24 AM on October 30, 2008
I haven't seen the violent language your talking about, tom, and I'm curious about it. Assuming it hasn't all been deleted, could you link to or paraphrase some of what your talking about?
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:24 AM on October 30, 2008
you're, rather.
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:25 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by Astro Zombie at 7:25 AM on October 30, 2008
Metafilter: The same basket of motherfuckers
sorry
posted by Happy Dave at 7:32 AM on October 30, 2008
sorry
posted by Happy Dave at 7:32 AM on October 30, 2008
How could any one user know that multiple users were being added to hate group mailing lists?
Unless...
posted by pracowity at 7:43 AM on October 30, 2008
Unless...
posted by pracowity at 7:43 AM on October 30, 2008
How could any one user know that multiple users were being added to hate group mailing lists?
BP's mentioned before that someone did it to him. I'm guessing he's gotten "hey, me too" responses from other members?
posted by middleclasstool at 7:52 AM on October 30, 2008
BP's mentioned before that someone did it to him. I'm guessing he's gotten "hey, me too" responses from other members?
posted by middleclasstool at 7:52 AM on October 30, 2008
Tellurian...what? (You said that to the guy who's had lots of haterade dumped on his head for pooping on hipster music FPP's and macbook threads. Maybe that's the self hate coming through?)
TomMelee… What? I know nothing of this. It was a compliment. I like your writing style *confused* [check your mefimail]
posted by tellurian at 8:03 AM on October 30, 2008
TomMelee… What? I know nothing of this. It was a compliment. I like your writing style *confused* [check your mefimail]
posted by tellurian at 8:03 AM on October 30, 2008
Is it BP who was the one who complained about this before in MetaTalk?
This seems like the third time I have heard this complaint from BP. He's the only one I have ever heard level this accusation.
How could any one user know that multiple users were being added to hate group mailing lists?
I would also like to know this. The loud argumentative guy complaining that he has been attacked and everyone is in danger doesn't do it for me without a lot more supporting data.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:05 AM on October 30, 2008
This seems like the third time I have heard this complaint from BP. He's the only one I have ever heard level this accusation.
How could any one user know that multiple users were being added to hate group mailing lists?
I would also like to know this. The loud argumentative guy complaining that he has been attacked and everyone is in danger doesn't do it for me without a lot more supporting data.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:05 AM on October 30, 2008
offers to make my sex toys bigger and firmer
What huh? Your sex TOYS? Is "toy" a euphemism for "penis" that I'm unfamiliar with, or are they offering a product that magically grows plastic and silicone?
posted by Evangeline at 8:10 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
What huh? Your sex TOYS? Is "toy" a euphemism for "penis" that I'm unfamiliar with, or are they offering a product that magically grows plastic and silicone?
posted by Evangeline at 8:10 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
seconding the request for how BP found this out. Not because I'm doubting him, mind you, but simply because I'd like to know how one finds out when one has been added to a hate mail list by a particular ip.
posted by shmegegge at 8:11 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by shmegegge at 8:11 AM on October 30, 2008
Yeah I'm not sure about this either. How many other people who commented on the thread received spam from hate groups? I didn't unless there's a hate group for those with small penises, and even then they always seem to be willing to help.
posted by ob at 8:29 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by ob at 8:29 AM on October 30, 2008
....and BINGO!
posted by Jofus at 8:51 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Jofus at 8:51 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Blazecock Pileon runs Windows Vista on his spam farm.
posted by Artw at 9:01 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 9:01 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
This is so very much not an emergency. One person getting hate mail doesn't mean it's an epidemic. It's a big jump from "OMG someone sent me hate spam" to "OMG someone is targeting all mefites for hate spam." Talk about crying wolf.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 9:21 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by The Light Fantastic at 9:21 AM on October 30, 2008
Yeah, I'm wondering about this too. The only way BP could have known this is if he has access to the server logs of these 'hate sites'.
posted by delmoi at 9:25 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by delmoi at 9:25 AM on October 30, 2008
I'd like to politely ask the anonymous individual who put my email address on an email harvester site again to please stop doing this. This is getting beyond funny and into harassment. If you have something to say, just say it here. Thank you.BP, This seems to have been an issue for you for at least a month now. Do you have some sort of confirmation that this is happening to other users? What's to say this isn't just run of the mill spam?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:56 PM on September 24, 2008
Also not fun: Having my inbox spammed by an anonymous coward. Congratulations, you've hit yet a new low.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:06 PM on September 25, 2008
Is linking to email harvester sites okay?
I have concerns that the subject of this post is very probably the work of an email harvester, and that the post should probably be removed for that reason. It seems a bit irresponsible to link to an email address harvesting scam, even if it looks friendly.
The reason I have those concerns is that I had my email address in my MeFi profile until a similar post was used to send "anonymous" email to my account, after which I saw an uptick in the spam I received. It was disappointing to have to do that in response to the malicious behavior of one person.
I am curious what the community thinks, but, largely, I am hoping also that others would think twice before putting anyone else's email address into that link's form.
posted by Blazecock Pileon to etiquette/policy at 5:21 PM on September 14, 2008
posted by chiababe at 9:37 AM on October 30, 2008
There's more than one way to figure out that someone has been adding your email address, and that's to construct a unique email address composed of slight variations and see how it spreads. You don't need server logs to figure it out that way. I use this technique all the time.
posted by adipocere at 9:43 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by adipocere at 9:43 AM on October 30, 2008
I've heard of SpamGourmet being used to track who uses your email for spam.
Haven't tried it out yet, though.
posted by dunkadunc at 9:49 AM on October 30, 2008
Haven't tried it out yet, though.
posted by dunkadunc at 9:49 AM on October 30, 2008
seconding the request for how BP found this out. Not because I'm doubting him, mind you, but simply because I'd like to know how one finds out when one has been added to a hate mail list by a particular ip.
Sure: One of the emails I received contained the IP address used by the perpetrator. The timing and content seemed odd, given my participation in the thread. I simply wished to warn others to remove their email addresses from their profiles before they get hit, which is a sad thing to have to do. I guess harassing people outside the site is what "community" is about. Sad, really.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:49 AM on October 30, 2008
Sure: One of the emails I received contained the IP address used by the perpetrator. The timing and content seemed odd, given my participation in the thread. I simply wished to warn others to remove their email addresses from their profiles before they get hit, which is a sad thing to have to do. I guess harassing people outside the site is what "community" is about. Sad, really.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 9:49 AM on October 30, 2008
$5 to sign up is not the high barrier to entry you seem to think it is.
posted by smackfu at 9:54 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by smackfu at 9:54 AM on October 30, 2008
$5 to sign up is not the high barrier to entry you seem to think it is.
$5? Wait a minute. It's only $5?
Jess emailed me and had me send her another $250 "once my probationary period was over" and then $500 a couple months later so I could "get my Platinum Mefi Membership?" And there was something about having a bad month at the track. What ever that meant.
I'm still waiting for the monogrammed towels and decoder ring.
posted by tkchrist at 10:07 AM on October 30, 2008 [7 favorites]
$5? Wait a minute. It's only $5?
Jess emailed me and had me send her another $250 "once my probationary period was over" and then $500 a couple months later so I could "get my Platinum Mefi Membership?" And there was something about having a bad month at the track. What ever that meant.
I'm still waiting for the monogrammed towels and decoder ring.
posted by tkchrist at 10:07 AM on October 30, 2008 [7 favorites]
They are totally in the mail, dude.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:14 AM on October 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:14 AM on October 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
I'm still not getting it, BP. How can you tell that it wasn't just a coincidence that you got some hate spam while reading MetaFilter?
It seems a bit of leap from "reading MetaFilter + getting spam" to "someone is harvesting email addresses from the site and deliberately signing people up to hate group mailing lists".
posted by jack_mo at 10:15 AM on October 30, 2008
It seems a bit of leap from "reading MetaFilter + getting spam" to "someone is harvesting email addresses from the site and deliberately signing people up to hate group mailing lists".
posted by jack_mo at 10:15 AM on October 30, 2008
Sure: One of the emails I received contained the IP address used by the perpetrator.
I'm not getting it either, BP. I don't understand how you know someone here is behind your spam problem or even what the sentence I quoted means.
posted by timeistight at 10:20 AM on October 30, 2008
I'm not getting it either, BP. I don't understand how you know someone here is behind your spam problem or even what the sentence I quoted means.
posted by timeistight at 10:20 AM on October 30, 2008
How can you tell that it wasn't just a coincidence that you got some hate spam while reading MetaFilter?
The odds of randomly getting emails subscribing me to mailing lists for hate groups that are related to a specific conversation I was just participating in, seemed very, very unlikely. The content and timing of these emails was too coincidental.
The Metafilter community might promote openness and transparency with user accounts, but there seem to be bad apple(s) who like to abuse that display of trust.
I really hope no one else got hit by this, and given the bad behavior displayed so far, and seemingly no other real solution in sight, I'd encourage others to remove their personal information from their profiles.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:30 AM on October 30, 2008
The odds of randomly getting emails subscribing me to mailing lists for hate groups that are related to a specific conversation I was just participating in, seemed very, very unlikely. The content and timing of these emails was too coincidental.
The Metafilter community might promote openness and transparency with user accounts, but there seem to be bad apple(s) who like to abuse that display of trust.
I really hope no one else got hit by this, and given the bad behavior displayed so far, and seemingly no other real solution in sight, I'd encourage others to remove their personal information from their profiles.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 10:30 AM on October 30, 2008
When I was in highschool, my friend Jon and I ran into Stefan and Andrew outside the dollar theater and started having a snowball fight. It was fun until Stefan hit me in the face with an iceball from, like, three feet away. I went down, he and Andrew jumped in his car and sped away.
That night, I called Save The Children and gave all of Stefan's info to them.
"Would you like to sponsor a boy or a girl?"
"What the hell, send me both!"
He was still complaining about it years later when I ran into him at the supermarket.
posted by klangklangston at 10:39 AM on October 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
That night, I called Save The Children and gave all of Stefan's info to them.
"Would you like to sponsor a boy or a girl?"
"What the hell, send me both!"
He was still complaining about it years later when I ran into him at the supermarket.
posted by klangklangston at 10:39 AM on October 30, 2008 [2 favorites]
since no one else seems to be suffering from this (unless their spam filters are stricter than yours? i dunno.) and you seem to have been dealing with this for a month now, i'm inclined to think the same individual has been targeting you and this is merely their latest salvo. maybe they follow you around and do this when they disagree with a specific thing you've said? honestly, that sounds really stalker-ish and creepy. here's hoping it stops soon.
posted by shmegegge at 10:43 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by shmegegge at 10:43 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Probably the best way to sort this out is for everyone who hasn't harvested email addresses from the site for nefarious purposes to say so in this thread. Whoever doesn't comment will be the guilty one! I'll start: I have never harvested email addresses from the site for nefarious purposes.
posted by Kwine at 10:46 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by Kwine at 10:46 AM on October 30, 2008
Me neither!
posted by timeistight at 10:49 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by timeistight at 10:49 AM on October 30, 2008
...and I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of the Republican party.
posted by timeistight at 10:50 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by timeistight at 10:50 AM on October 30, 2008
Random people have been doing this to me for years. I used to keep my email address in plaintext in the "about" part on my profile, but I don't any more. I've been signed up for everything from Focus on the Family lists to support group lists focused on rare or embarrassing diseases.
The thing that identifies these subscriptions from the normal noise of spam is that most of them are opt-in, requiring a confirmation link, and they almost always arrive in a flurry right after I've had an argument with someone, or made some possibly controversial statement.
Personally I think it's pretty amusing. Such a small, petty way to lash out. Surely the domain of someone who desperately wishes they were smart enough to actually hack your computer or something dramatic like that, but the only things they can really manage are small, pestering annoyances like this.
Meanwhile all of these lists are helping me train Gmail's spam filter to recognize right wing/fundamentalist Christian propaganda as spam. Thanks!
Note to foes: I am available by appointment for fisticuffs or wrasslin'. No one in my house wants to spar with me any more and I'm forgetting what it's like to take or land a punch. I figure if you're that pissed off you might have a chance at actually providing some decent opposition, so bring it.
posted by loquacious at 10:53 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
The thing that identifies these subscriptions from the normal noise of spam is that most of them are opt-in, requiring a confirmation link, and they almost always arrive in a flurry right after I've had an argument with someone, or made some possibly controversial statement.
Personally I think it's pretty amusing. Such a small, petty way to lash out. Surely the domain of someone who desperately wishes they were smart enough to actually hack your computer or something dramatic like that, but the only things they can really manage are small, pestering annoyances like this.
Meanwhile all of these lists are helping me train Gmail's spam filter to recognize right wing/fundamentalist Christian propaganda as spam. Thanks!
Note to foes: I am available by appointment for fisticuffs or wrasslin'. No one in my house wants to spar with me any more and I'm forgetting what it's like to take or land a punch. I figure if you're that pissed off you might have a chance at actually providing some decent opposition, so bring it.
posted by loquacious at 10:53 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
When I was twelve at an all-boys boarding school, a group of us got another kid a subscription to American Girl Magazine. LAFF RIOT AT MAIL TIME
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 10:54 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 10:54 AM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
I totally want mefi/ask branded towels now. How can we make this happen?
posted by cowbellemoo at 11:20 AM on October 30, 2008
posted by cowbellemoo at 11:20 AM on October 30, 2008
You know, I have been receiving emails from the American Nazi Party for several months now, after participating in a Ilsa She Wolf of the SS thread. I hadn't put the two together until now. I thought they had just somehow figured out that I thought Nazi uniforms are sexy.
What? A lot of Jews find them sexy. A lot.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:30 AM on October 30, 2008
What? A lot of Jews find them sexy. A lot.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:30 AM on October 30, 2008
Blazecock Pileon wrote: How can you tell that it wasn't just a coincidence that you got some hate spam while reading MetaFilter?
The odds of randomly getting emails subscribing me to mailing lists for hate groups that are related to a specific conversation I was just participating in, seemed very, very unlikely. The content and timing of these emails was too coincidental.
Oh, right - I was confused by the 'spam farm' bit, and thought you just got hit by more unpleasant spam than usual, not a mail confirming a direct sign-up to some horrible mailing list.
posted by jack_mo at 11:37 AM on October 30, 2008
The odds of randomly getting emails subscribing me to mailing lists for hate groups that are related to a specific conversation I was just participating in, seemed very, very unlikely. The content and timing of these emails was too coincidental.
Oh, right - I was confused by the 'spam farm' bit, and thought you just got hit by more unpleasant spam than usual, not a mail confirming a direct sign-up to some horrible mailing list.
posted by jack_mo at 11:37 AM on October 30, 2008
It seems like the more BP complains about this, the more likely jerks will target just him.
Although he doesn't have an email in his profile anymore so who knows.
posted by smackfu at 11:44 AM on October 30, 2008
Although he doesn't have an email in his profile anymore so who knows.
posted by smackfu at 11:44 AM on October 30, 2008
There was an Ilsa thread?
*furiously searches*
posted by middleclasstool at 11:47 AM on October 30, 2008
*furiously searches*
posted by middleclasstool at 11:47 AM on October 30, 2008
*furiously searches*
Is that what the kids are calling it these days?
posted by electroboy at 12:46 PM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Is that what the kids are calling it these days?
posted by electroboy at 12:46 PM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Is that what the kids are calling it these days?
...I didn't know she had the GI-Joe, kung-fu grep
posted by cowbellemoo at 1:09 PM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
...I didn't know she had the GI-Joe, kung-fu grep
posted by cowbellemoo at 1:09 PM on October 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
...I didn't know she had the GI-Joe, kung-fu grep
*groans* Fsck you and the root partition you rode in on, buddy! ;)
posted by loquacious at 2:41 PM on October 30, 2008
*groans* Fsck you and the root partition you rode in on, buddy! ;)
posted by loquacious at 2:41 PM on October 30, 2008
I think the Founding Fathers foresaw hate spam and set elections with a one year recovery gap in between.
posted by Cranberry at 3:19 PM on October 30, 2008
posted by Cranberry at 3:19 PM on October 30, 2008
I don't even get spam. I'm that unpopular. I'm looking at my inbox. . .nothing. Not for five years now, just the welcome letter from hotmail.
posted by nola at 3:56 PM on October 30, 2008
posted by nola at 3:56 PM on October 30, 2008
Obviously, hotmail hacked your account.
posted by klangklangston at 4:26 PM on October 30, 2008
posted by klangklangston at 4:26 PM on October 30, 2008
Damnit, I was already subscribed to Playboy. FAIL.
posted by loquacious at 5:15 PM on October 30, 2008
posted by loquacious at 5:15 PM on October 30, 2008
thanks to the constant more or less automatic adding and deleting there are usually around 650 emails in my gmail spam folder at any given time.
a quick check twenty seconds ago confirmed that number to be currently unchanged.
a circular firing squad without me? how did that happen?
I feel so left out.
posted by krautland at 6:27 PM on October 30, 2008
a quick check twenty seconds ago confirmed that number to be currently unchanged.
a circular firing squad without me? how did that happen?
I feel so left out.
posted by krautland at 6:27 PM on October 30, 2008
thanks to the constant more or less automatic adding and deleting there are usually around 650 emails in my gmail spam folder at any given time.
Mine is at 10,760 right now. It's usually +-1000 of that.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:57 PM on October 30, 2008
Mine is at 10,760 right now. It's usually +-1000 of that.
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:57 PM on October 30, 2008
I am available by appointment for fisticuffs or wrasslin'. No one in my house wants to spar with me any more and I'm forgetting what it's like to take or land a punch. I figure if you're that pissed off you might have a chance at actually providing some decent opposition, so bring it.
Tommorow is your lucky day, I'll be at the Shaws supermarket in Manchester, CT at 8:30 a.m.
posted by grouse at 7:40 AM on October 31, 2008
Tommorow is your lucky day, I'll be at the Shaws supermarket in Manchester, CT at 8:30 a.m.
posted by grouse at 7:40 AM on October 31, 2008
Mine is at 10,760 right now. It's usually +-1000 of that.
sigh what did I tell you about them tittiewebsites?
posted by krautland at 9:41 AM on October 31, 2008
sigh what did I tell you about them tittiewebsites?
posted by krautland at 9:41 AM on October 31, 2008
Were you the quiet voice in the back of my head insisting that I check them constantly?
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:44 AM on October 31, 2008
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:44 AM on October 31, 2008
Mine is at 10,760 right now. It's usually +-1000 of that.
I dunno what I am doing that others are not (or vice versa), but I get the occasional promotional e-mail from airlines I have booked on or from online stores I have ordered from: counting these as spam, I get maybe a hundred pieces a year, tops. Never yet had a pleading letter from the widow of the late Minister of Finance in Lesotho, or offers to increase the size of my p'eni"s.
Somehow, I have never had a telemarketer call, either.
I can only assume that when I was an infant and the good fairies gathered round my crib blessing me with wit, grace, humour and striking good looks, they threw this in as a bonus.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:14 AM on October 31, 2008
I dunno what I am doing that others are not (or vice versa), but I get the occasional promotional e-mail from airlines I have booked on or from online stores I have ordered from: counting these as spam, I get maybe a hundred pieces a year, tops. Never yet had a pleading letter from the widow of the late Minister of Finance in Lesotho, or offers to increase the size of my p'eni"s.
Somehow, I have never had a telemarketer call, either.
I can only assume that when I was an infant and the good fairies gathered round my crib blessing me with wit, grace, humour and striking good looks, they threw this in as a bonus.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:14 AM on October 31, 2008
a two-fold taint/sensing system
I'm imagining that being something else entirely.
posted by sadiehawkinstein at 4:33 PM on November 2, 2008
I'm imagining that being something else entirely.
posted by sadiehawkinstein at 4:33 PM on November 2, 2008
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
If you're simply decrying the practice of someone using their MeFi account to harvest e-mail addresses however, then yes, I do agree that that is not cool.
posted by Effigy2000 at 12:39 AM on October 30, 2008