"Spim" is Latest Online Annoyance 292
Pcol writes "The Washington Post reports that 'Spim,' as people are beginning to call unsolicited instant messages, is the latest sign that online marketers will seek to take advantage of other communication tools, not limiting themselves to spam or pop-up ads. The good news is that it's not easy for spimmers to send unsolicited instant messages. Instant message providers like AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo have a lot of control over their instant message networks, and since they look at their IM offerings as gateway services that help draw customers in to their paid Internet offerings, these firms are already committing resources to making sure the spim problem never reaches the same scale as spam." Even without the providers assistance, many people who use IM systems are smart enough to limit incoming messages to those from their buddy lists. Still, there must be enough of a success rate to move spimmers to continue messaging users.
Locating Spimmers (Score:2, Interesting)
Unfortunate name choice (Score:5, Interesting)
I thought "SPIM" was a PC program that simulates a generic MIPS architecture processor [wisc.edu], used in computer architecture courses in computer science and computer engineering curricula.
Light on details (Score:5, Interesting)
AOL/AIM seems to have it worst, lots and lots of porn spims. Never had a problem with Yahoo but I remember a /. story [slashdot.org] about spam on MSN.
Wouldn't it be harder to spam on MSN and Yahoo? Don't they crack down on unauthorized clients, while AIM has the open-source TOC protocol?
SPAM by any other name (Score:1, Interesting)
User reporting (Score:3, Interesting)
Obviously... (Score:3, Interesting)
counter-spamming (Score:5, Interesting)
My idea is to drown them in bogus data so that they spend more time and money responding to bogus responses than they would with old-fashioned cold calling. It would also remove the advantage of increasing spamming volume because the spammer with the highest volume would also get the most garbage responses.
Thoughts?
Just Bill or Stall the Spimmers (Score:3, Interesting)
Billing Spimmers would be a good way to raise revenues, but would be a nightmare for anyone whose account was highjacked. Stalling a spimmer's account might be a better way to make spim too labor-intensive to be useful (although maybe spimmers would just outsource to India or China and pay people $1/day to slowly send spims).
Even AOL Spims!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
Sadly, I deleted the chat log just a few days ago, but here's a rough recollection of my conversion with AOL's marketing gimp:
archer97: downloaded 9.0 yet?
mokolabs: nope
archer97: it's pretty sweet
archer97: check it out
mokolabs: no thanks
archer 97: it's a big upgrade
mokolabs: do i know you?
archer97: lol
archer97: no
Has anyone else run into this? I'd love to spin this story back at AOL (who apparently approves of spim as long it's the one spimming).
Re:This has been going on for years (Score:4, Interesting)
Of course they were almost 100% adult sites, mostly people saying "Hi I'm Lolita from Moscow U."
Re:Meh, relatively easy to get around. (Score:3, Interesting)
Mine just says "What is my first name?"
If they get it correct, they can send me a message. Wrong, and they can't... Pretty simple.
Now, if someone does a dictionary attack on me and brute-forces their way to my name, I'm in trouble...
Re:Where they probably get your screen name (Score:3, Interesting)
I've been getting "botted" lately. It's where you'll get this message that says something like:
"I liked what sent me"
You reply and it says:
"So what are you up to?"
Based on your reply - it will "sense a mood" but the reply won't make any sense
Then it sends a link saying you've been talking to a bot - download it (link)
I think a way to stop some IM spam or SPIM, as this article is calling it, is to prevent URLs from IMs. That way, if someone were getting around it, you'd know. They'd have to spell it, like they do in personals ads.
"Visit my website at double u double u double u dot horny dot c.u.m"
I send this message, eventhough it probably does little good, if I suspect SPIM:
"Just to let you know - if you are an IM spammer ... I have a new IM client called FIRE - it can send four viruses directly through IM if you respond. You are low life scum...otherwise hello.
Re:Strangers are just spimmers you haven't met yet (Score:3, Interesting)
Good news is, I don't maintain a profile. I hazard that's where spimmers are harvesting their addresses, because my IM screenname is ALL OVER the website yet none of my work IM accounts has ever gotten. My home account has gotten them...it has a profile, too. There's no real reason to have a profile unless you're looking to meet new people over the client...and it looks like some of those new people want me to check out their new porn websites.
And this is the heart of the problem (Score:2, Interesting)
You could almost guarantee that if no one clicked those popup adds or if no one responded to Spam then the Spammers wouldn't send it.
I mean a few companies would use their advertising budget for spam, waste it all because no one that it reached bought anything and that would be the end of it. Other companies would learn form those failures.
But that isn't happening. Obviously allot of people respond to this advertising right?
Maybe Spam is just another example of our society attacking the symptoms and not the cause.
Not that I am defending Spammers I hate them and I hate the people who respond to the Spam just as much if not more so.