Re: The Future of the Usenet (was: Re: Good-Bye rr.com)

From: Aragorn (stryder_at_telenet.invalid)
Date: 11/18/05 

Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 20:16:33 GMT

On Friday 18 November 2005 20:41, Alan Connor stood up and spoke the
following words to the masses in /comp.os.linux.misc...:/

> On comp.os.linux.misc, in
> <zHpff.51762$OF6.3181695@phobos.telenet-ops.be>, "Aragorn" wrote:
>
> Aragorn. Long time no see.

Oh, I've been around... ;-) I did however notice that my ISP's
newsserver seems to be dropping a lot of my posts lately, and I really
hate to have to look for my own scribblings - and usually, the replies
to them - via Google Groups... :-/

>> On Friday 18 November 2005 16:32, Alan Connor stood
>> up and spoke the following words to the masses in
>> /comp.os.linux.misc...:/
>>
>>> Those posts from the deranged spammer through rr.com were the
>>> straw that broke the camel's back.
>>>
>>> Add them to the fact that rr.com is a favorite of trolls and
>>> doesn't even respond to complaints...
>>>
>>> I'm leaving any posts from them on the server from now on.
>>>
>>> The entire posts.
>>>
>>> And any responses to them.
>>>
>>> Haven't decided about telia.net/com yet.
>>
>> As far as I know, Telia is a Swedish ISP. We've already had
>> previous experiences with zombies/crackers from that ISP, but I
>> guess every ISP has such cretins among their customers.
>
> Telia at least sent an auto-response when I mailed them.
>
> I've seen a _lot_ of trolling through rr.com, though, and they
> didn't respond at all. And never have.

So... To summarize, these are the three companies involved...:
- rr.com
- rcn.com
- telia.com

>> I've seen three distinctly different IP addresses being used in
>> this attack - it was not just directed at this group, by the
>> way - and they probably lead to zombie PC's.
>>
>
> I'm sure you're right. My guess is that this is the same person
> who has been spamming the Usenet with those ridiculous subjects
> like "Turn $8.50 into a $14,000 Monthly Income in 6 Weeks."

Hmmm... This is possible, but I thought that this kind of posts came
from different individuals. And they're usually multi-posted to, which
is a pain in the ***... :-/

> I think he made $0.00 for all of his efforts, and is pissed.
>
> If I ran an NSP, every client would be required to use the same
> alias every time they posted. Not necessarily their real name,
> just the same one. If killfiles worked, the Usenet would be
> a much better place in short order, and good people would come
> back to it.

True... I've already seen quite a bit of crap in my life, but I'm still
shocked and surprised at the ingenuity of some malware makers, trolls
and spammers.

Just cause to show the world really is a sick place...

> There'd be a period of very little activity, but it wouldn't last
> long. Without trolls and spammers, the Usenet could be the most
> valuable facet of the Internet.

The Internet in itself is a Great Thing(TM), and Usenet surely provides
to a means for making the world a smaller place, very much like IRC,
which is the real-time equivalent of Usenet.

I happen to be running an IRC network with a few friends, but it's
really sad how IRC has fallen out of grace due to Microsoft's decision
to put MSN in every default Windows installation.

The kids love MSN as it allows them to chat with their friends, but none
of them knows that there was already such a thing as IRC long before
MSN ever came to be.

These days, IRC is still mostly used for the distribution and/or
leeching of illegal software or music. We have such leecher-candidates
on our network as well, albeit that there is nothing for them to leech.

We've cleaned out the network a long time ago and we've set up our own
security system to prevent any distributors of porn, warez or other
illegal junk from building a nest on our network. It has cost us a
great number of users, but if they only connect to our network for
leeching, then we don't need them.

> None of the mailing lists I subscribe to have any spam or
> trollmail, so it can be done. And some of them are huge, run
> by just one person in some cases.
>
> Partly, it is greed on the part of NSPs that is
> responsible: Trolls and spammers buy a lot of accounts and
> bandwidth.

Greed is one of the most common foundations for man's tendency to
destroy his own potential. :-/

> Partly, it is the fact that a lot of powerful interests do not
> like free speech at all.

Of course!

> Allowing trolls free reign on the Usenet is like allowing
> vandals free reign in a neighborhood: Good way to make sure
> that it isn't a place that educated and thoughtful and
> productivepeople choose to be.
>
> If the above change isn't implemented, I think the Usenet is
> just going to die.

I wouldn't go as far as to say it would die, Alan, but it sure is a
battlezone right now - a reflection of the real world, perhaps?

There should indeed be some thought about better dealing with trolls and
spammers. So far, they all hide in obscurity and in the fact that
legislation regarding cybercrime is still in its infancy, although work
is in progress...

ISP's should definitely be more stringent towards abuse of their
services. So far, it seems that if a certain situation isn't going to
cost them any money - or at least, in their short-term view - then they
will allow for that situation to endure.

Strong ethics are definitely a necessity... ;-) 

-- 
With kind regards,
*Aragorn*
(Registered GNU/Linux user #223157)