<< See all Yahoo! Tech News

Will Facebook's $711 Million Antispam Win Matter?

  • By Brennon Slattery - Fri Oct 30, 2009 10:18AM EDT
  • Add articles about technology to your My Yahoo! add to My Yahoo!

Recent Tech News Stories

 

After slapping a restraining order on the Spam King last March, Facebook walloped notorious Sanford Wallace, yesterday winning its $711 million lawsuit for Wallace's violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act , the California Anti-Phishing Act and the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM). While these offenses and crippling fines are nothing new to Wallace, Facebook seems to believe that the latest ruling against Sir Spamalot will be a heavy deterrent against future spam artists. But will it actually make a difference?

Wallace's history of spamming is long and torrid. He's been sued multiple times -- the previously most prominent case ending in a $230 million win by MySpace. Now that Fac ebook has upped the ante, and with Wallace facing jail time, it appears his career in flooding e-mail inboxes with sexy ads that are oh-so-appetizing but oh-so-dangerous has reached an end.

The case against Wallace is not Facebook's biggest battle. Last year Facebook nabbed a cool $873 million from a Canadian shilling pharmaceuticals and sex products.

So how much of this $711 million can Facebook expect to see? Little, if any. Wallace filed for bankruptcy back in June. Also, the likelihood that he's anywhere near a court or has any intention of doing the right thing is thin.

Spamming is a lucrative business, and as long as e-mail accounts exist, spam will persist. While the judgment against Wallace will surely cause some spammers to second-guess their vocations, it's doubtful that it will put a serious dent in a profession so rife with money. Facebook has every right to be proud, but has no reason, at the moment, to be haughty -- watching The Spam King go down in flames won't prevent phony Facebook wall posts or malware-ridden bulk e-mail messages.

Product Categories

Computers Home Office Wi-Fi & Networking Phones & PDAs Cameras & Camcorders TV & Home Theater Portable Audio

Today On...

Upgrades thumbnail
Upgrades

Download Internet Explorer 8

Get the new Internet Explorer 8 optimized for Yahoo!. Read More

Yahoo! Search thumbnail
Yahoo! Search

Play full songs for free

Search for music artists and listen to full songs right on the search page. Read More


My Tech

Please enable your browser's cookies to activate the My Tech column.


Copyright © 2009 PC World Communications, Inc.

Question and Answer content at Yahoo! Tech is written by Yahoo! users at Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo! does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any Yahoo! Answers content. For more information, read the Full Disclaimer.

Opinions expressed by the Advisors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Yahoo! Inc. Yahoo! receives no compensation from any manufacturer or distributor nor does it compensate any Advisor for the coverage of any product or service in any Advisor's content.