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hitmen intimidating spammers

let all spamvictims together hire the mafia to intimidate spammers
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The top-10 of spammers is put on a 'wanted' list with a price on his head. Whoever intimidate the spammer in such a way that he turns himself in and testifies to all the damage done is compensated with money collected by netizens on a secret Swiss bank account.

The Swiss bank account is filled with millions of micro payments done by millions of spam victims. Because millions of people together hire a criminal to intimidate somebody, each one can't possibly be held accountable legally. Already tracing their real identities would take ages.

The person who sets up the infrastructure only says he thinks it's an interesting art project and it is not serious. As soon as it works, he abandones it and leaves it out there, not taking up responsability for it. His art work is finished. It then circulates on many mirror websites and P2P networks (if people like the project).

The proof is published by the criminal by forcing the spammer to have himself arrested and declaring to the newsservices never to spam again, reveal his personal information, admit he was wrong and so on.

The application to release the Swiss bank account number to the criminal does a search on this news on-line. Once certain major newsservices quote the spammer saying he will stop spamming, the application releases the Swiss bank account number to the criminal.

The criminal finds himself a copy of the application on a P2P network and enters a phrase the spammer is going to say to the journalists a certain number of days before this takes place. Once the journalists quote him correctly and this news appears online, the application finds this and the Swiss bank accountnumber is released.

Other people can try the phrase the spammer had to say as soon as it is known and can also get the Swiss bank account number out of it, but it will be days later than the criminal. The account will already be emptied by then.

When this worked for the number 1 spammer, number 2 on the list is next and so on. Perhaps a spammer appears awfully torturted in the news (for example with the keyword scarred on him, to make sure it is mentioned in the news). After a few of those example cases spam will stop.

The risk other people are killed by the internet community in this way is small because nobody except spammers can move the whole internet community as much.

We only have to find a Swiss bank that accepts millions of micro payments on a certain anonymous account.

BTW, If this story goes out as an urban legend, it might already scare amateur spammers...

rrr, Jan 08 2004

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       seriously it is not that big of a problem if you are smart. have to email adresses. one that distribute to sights and things that will sell the name to spammers and one that you use for personal and or business. also, get a spam and bulk mail folder. finally just dont waste time reading things like - "increase you bust overnight!" or "this is jenny telling you you won a new VW Bug!" especially if you dont know anyone named Jenny!
Space-Pope, Jan 09 2004
  

       Lynch mobs are dangerous, and countries that have eliminated them are generally better off for having done so. On the other hand, when some people flout their destructive anti-societal behavior and the authorities do nothing, there may be times when some 'group correction' may be appropriate.   

       If it takes spam recipients one second each to eliminate spams, then most spammers destroy many human lifetimes worth of time. Such behavior should not by any stretch of the imagination be considered acceptable.
supercat, Jan 09 2004
  

       Croissant for the first Halfbaker to propose hiring a hitman.
Madcat, Jan 09 2004
  

       hitmen should have hammers not spammers or spanners
po, Jan 09 2004
  

       A guy named Neal Horsley used to run a site called "The Nuremberg Files", listing names, addresses, phone numbers and photographs of abortionists.   

       Is there a site like this for spammers?
Guncrazy, Jan 09 2004
  

       [jutta] My text perhaps reads as finding a cowardly way to strike hard on those nasty spammers without getting hit. It perhaps is.   

       But my intention was to make use of the same technological situation as the spammers do. They can make millions of victims while the cost for them individually is minimal and the rewards high. The millions sit as ducks on the receiving end because they can't act together as a collective to correct this anonymous individual with his unwanted behaviour.   

       The best way to do this is with violence. The monopoly on violence lies in the hands of the state. The violence of the state (imprisonment, fines, taxation) can't reach the spammers effectively. There is no world government for example.   

       Just a single individual who bypasses the monopoly on violence by the state with the support of an anonymous mass of millions could go after the culprit. Some individuals try to fight the spammers now with technological end educative means, but this is never as effective as *real* violence. By hiring such an illegal law enforcer with millions he is legitimised in a way. To achieve this there should be a maximum set to the micro contribution, something like 10 cents or so. This will 'democratise' the responsability for the violence he will have to use. The hitman will probably get away with it, it is his job not to get caught.   

       Then again, it should only be just enough intimidation in order to make the spammer run to jail voluntarily.
rrr, Jan 10 2004
  

       //They can make millions of victims //   

       I'm sorry, I think the word 'victims' here is a bit overdone. Spam is annoying, yes, but no more than that.
Trickytracks, Jan 09 2007
  

       Been done already anyway. Who was that Russian spammer that got whacked recently? The article was in Wired magazine.
normzone, Jan 09 2007
  

       An interesting idea, but one which will do nothing to eliminate spam.
Noexit, Jan 09 2007
  

       Nail some sense in to 'em, I say.
Dub, Jan 10 2007
  

       Hire hitnerds to place their computers and backups in the river to swim with the trout ?
popbottle, Jan 23 2015
  

       //bypasses the monopoly on violence by the state//   

       States don't like it when you do that.
Voice, Jan 23 2015
  

       If you would extend this to hiring arsonists to torch buildings housing robocallers, I'm ready to contribute. Patreon, Kickstarter, you name it, I'll help.
normzone, Jan 23 2015
  

       ^
FlyingToaster, Jan 23 2015
  


 

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