Posted by MH on November 09, 2004 at 13:08:44 (PST):
In Reply to: Re: ANYONE ELSE IN I.T. TO AGREE? posted by YOU KNOW ME on November 09, 2004 at 10:48:20 (PST):
: Anyone else in I.T. agree that is the usual case with free services? If you wish to add to my claims. go for it.........
That's the age-old ethics question. I think there are plenty of sites/scripts out there whose intentions are not to harvest email addys but there are countless others who prey on the unsuspecting. Quite simply, you cannot really trust anyone on the net with your information.
Hence, I utilize a web-based email address and use it for signing up for the free services while my other personal account remains relatively spam-free.
All it takes is one bad apple to collect your information and all of a sudden, you're on more spam lists than you can deal with.
Legislation in this realm is in its infancy but in time, sites which harvest personal information for resale will be prosecuted. Site/Domain/Hosting services are becoming ever so cognizant of the backlash they could receive and in the meantime are attempting to police themselves but again, at this point, you really can't trust anybody.