>>On Sat, 14 Apr 2007, Borked Pseudo Mailed <nobody@pseudo.borked.net> wrote:
>>>Borked Pseudo Mailed <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> As most of you already know, there is a serious pandemic problem facing
>>>>readers
>>>>in news groups. There is a glut of spammers and sock puppets who seem to
>>>>spam
>>>>with
>>>>impunity, many through the Google Groups web to usenet interface. I am
>>>>talking
>>>>about commercial spam, people selling things, people who want your money. I
>>>>had
>>>>always thought that posting commerical spam links to groups with charters
>>>>against it
>>>>was considered abuse, and could get the spammer's account cancelled. That
>>>>no
>>>>longer
>>>>seems to be the case, at least not with Google.
>>>>
>>>> Complaints to <groups-abuse@google.com> seem to be ignored. You copy the
>>>>complete
>>>>spam message with headers and send it to them, with "Commercial SPAM link
>>>>complaint"
>>>>or other obvious wording in the subject title, but no bananas. The spam
>>>>continues,
>>>>and new Google sock puppets keep popping up like summer dandelions.
>>>>
>>>> A few months ago, I began tracking the IP addresses in the spam and sock
>>>>puppet
>>>>message headers, of all spam that has been disrupting our groups, noticing
>>>>that
>>>>some
>>>>of the messages had been cross posted to other groups, and in very odd
>>>>combinations.
>>>>
>>>> I began to notice that the Google IP addresses in the spam headers are
>>>>coming
>>>>from all over the place, from Australia, the US, UK, everywhere that Google
>>>>Groups
>>>>is accessible.
>>>>
>>>> I don't get it. I can't believe that spammers around the world could be
>>>>working
>>>>in cahoots, could they? Have spammers created a global usenet link-exchange
>>>>program,
>>>>where they agree to constantly create new Google sock puppets, each from
>>>>their
>>>>own
>>>>injection points that Google identifies by IP block, then keep posting each
>>>>other's
>>>>spammy links in usenet messages, and maybe to proprietary Google web groups
>>>>too?
>>>>
>>>> I know there are plenty of other spammy ISPs and what not. But how many
>>>>other
>>>>Google Groups are there? It's like they are working tag teams. One Google
>>>>user
>>>>posts a newbie message "I am new here," "I need information." Then the
>>>>spammer
>>>>responds right on que, usually with their own Google Groups account, or
>>>>other
>>>>usenet
>>>>service.
>>>>
>>>> So I guess I have two questions. Is an international spammer's
>>>>"link-exchange"
>>>>program really going on here? And if it is, then is there any practical way
>>>>to
>>>>stop
>>>>them? Maybe I'm just being paranoid, or don't fully understand how the
>>>>whole
>>>>Google
>>>>Groups posting thing works. Spam sucks. Whatever happened to the UDP?
>>>>
>>>>Paranoid
>>>>
>>>You're either a troll or eelbash, who, of course, never heard about
>>>botnets.
>>
>> Actually, you've helped to suggest an answer to one of my two primary
>>questions, to some extent, that it may be possible that spammers have
>>automated programs that allow them to post and morph through the Google
>>Groups interface. But isn't Google the world's leading search engine? Why,
>>or how, would they allow malicious commercial spammers to take advantage
>>of them?
>>
>> I'm not the reviled eelbash, but I'm probably ignorant enough about the
>>subject matter on Internet spam, to qualify as a "troll" in the watchful eyes
>>of Internet experts. I am just sick of the spam. If there is nothing that
>>can be done about it, then I suppose that is that. Please say it isn't so.
>>
>> I've never heard of botnets before, so I searched that term inclusive of
>>usenet AND spam AND google AND groups, which returns some interesting results.
>>
>> I read that the "24hoursupport.helpdesk" and "alt.internet.search-engines"
>>groups might be of help on this, so I've added them to this reply.
>>
>>Paranoid
>>

On Sun, 15 Apr 2007, Aardvark <Aardvark@youllnever.know> wrote:
>I support spam. I am a spammer myself. There is no such thing as spam. Anybody
>who questions why Google Groups propagates so much spam is an *******.

OK.

How about some straight answers? Why are spammers constantly spamming usenet and
morphing sock puppets specifically through the Google Groups web to usenet interface,
and getting away with it? Is it a stupid question?

If nothing can be done to stop the spammers who constantly spam through their
googlegroups.com web to usenet accounts, with impunity, then that is that. But I am
surprised that so many computer experts here openly support spamming through the
millions of abusive Google Groups accounts, unless they, you, are among the
commercial spammers who abuse their Google Groups accounts.

That does not bode well for Google. But what do they care? Google executives
are making money hand over fist from commercial spammers.

No wonder Google says "do no evil." They don't want anybody encroaching on their
billion dollar turf.


Paranoid