[SpamCop-List] Re: Does prosecuting spammers accomplish anything?

[Berny]

"John Smith" <nobody at example.com> wrote in message
news:ddq9hl$7ju$1 at news.spamcop.net...
> SNIP
>
> 1. Has the volume of spam actually dropped? (I'm interested in figures
> from an ISP or similar firm, not anyone's personal spam load.)
>
I very much doubt it. In fact I think that successful prosecutions and
lawsuits don't even dent the slope of the volume curve which only increases.

> 2. Will new spammers step in to fill the gap left by the ones that got
> caught?
>
No Idea, to some extent yes, existing spammers mostly increase bandwidth
usage.

> 3. Will spammers actually live overseas to avoid prosecution?
>
Many already do

> 4. In the next decade or so, will less developed nations become the new
> spam scourge?

What about now? it's the medium developed countries that are and generally
will be the main scourge, LDC's don't have the infrastructure or bandwidth
to seriously impact spam volume. That's why spammers use China, Brazil and
Korea today.

Prosecutions and successful lawsuits mainly provide personal satisfaction
that somebody is getting kicked in the teeth for spamming and  gives me
reason to go on fighting spam, but I feel we (Spam fighters) are all already
in the position of those Japanese soldiers in the South Pacific that never
received, or, ignored, surrender orders, after WW II..