p2pnet reports MySpace spam to FTC
p2pnet view P2P | Advertising:- Yesterday I posted a story saying I’d been spammed by MySpace.
“Rupert Murdoch’s MySpace, ‘once the 500 pound gorilla of social networking’, as Brandz sums it up, is getting desperate”, I said, going on: >>>
With “shrinking audiences, deep layoffs and two management shake-ups” MySpace has ” been in retreat for over a year” but “the company’s new co-presidents are seeking to turn the site around with a new look”, says the story.
And as part of it, they’ve also decided to start spamming people.
This morning I receive [an] item … asking me to sign up.
Underneath in light grey, “If you want to block emails from MySpace in the future, click here”, it says helpfully, going on, “Or send a single, blank email with the subject line ‘BLOCK’ to: privacy@myspace.com. You can also block future emails or direct any other inquiries by regular postal mail to: MySpace, Inc. 8391 Beverly Blvd. #349, Los Angeles, CA 90048 USA.”
Today I emailed the Federal Trade Commission [spam@uce.gov] with a copy of the MySpace spam.
In it I said >>>
To whom it may concern:
My name is Jon Newton and I run p2pnet.net, a Canadian digital media news blog.
On March 24, 2010, I received the attached piece of unsolicited email from MySpace.
It implies I’ll receive further spam from MySpace unless I take steps to ‘block’ it.
I am not now, and never have been, a member of MySpace.
“If you want to block emails from MySpace in the future, click here”, says the spam email.
The url is: http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=block&iid=70DF01C9-CBAE-4CBC-A7B9-9369BE69693B
It says in part, “If you believe that the invitation you received was an improper use of our service (see our terms),we encourage you to contact us at privacy@myspace.com”.
However, I didn’t want to give MySpace any information about myself and instead today followed the company’s instructions, to wit: “Or send a single, blank email with the subject line “BLOCK” to: privacy@myspace.com.”
To be sure, I also sent an email to the same address saying:
“Immediately remove me from your spam list.
“Many thanks,
“Jon Newton, p2pnet.net”
However, I received this in response to both emails:
=====================
Hello,
Thanks for contacting MySpace about your privacy concerns. The privacy@myspace.com and privacy@support.myspace.com email addresses are no longer in service. You can find out more about privacy issues on MySpace by visiting our Help center at http://faq.myspace.com, and checking out the links under Privacy & Security, on the lower left side of the page.
If you still need to contact MySpace regarding your privacy concerns, please visit http://faq.myspace.com and submit your question through the Contact MySpace form (the blue button on the right side of Help). Provide us with as much detail as you can about your question, and we’ll review it and get back to you as soon as we can.
Thanks for keeping MySpace a safe and enjoyable place to socialize with friends.
Sincerely,
The MySpace Support team
Discussion Thread
=====================
Yesterday a p2pnet reader did the same and received the same response. [http://www.p2pnet.net/story/37356#comment-1002886]
Clearly, following MySpace instructions is a waste of time and I’m damned if I’m going to jump through any more hoops to block MySpace spam I didn’t ask for in the first place.
Header details from the MySpace spam are below.
Please let me know how you plan to deal with this.
Cheers! And thanks …
Jon
If you’ve also had one of these pieces of garbage mail, I encourage you to do the same.
Stay tuned.
Jon Newton – p2pnet

.. … and identi.ca
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
spammed by MySpace – MySpace spams p2pnet, March 24, 2010
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March 25th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
hmm, Jon, if i am not mistaken, unsolicited Email (spam) to a business (You a business?) may fall within the real of the privacy commissioner. Pretty sure I spotted this (or something along those lines) many moons ago @ privcom.gc.ca
March 25th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
^^ I’m not a business.
Cheers!
March 25th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
“p2pnet reports MySpace spam to FCC”
“Today I emailed the Federal Trade Commission…”
So, you sent this to the FCC, or FTC?
March 25th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
before i take a long nap…
if your complaint is accepted as being valid,
is the law not granting you to receive a fixed amount of buckazoids for each received spam message?
if it is, will it not be some lawyer eating away most of “the pie” …?
March 25th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
RIAA and MPAA ACTA draft: Spam is copyright
March 26th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
@ DA:
Ahem. Just seeing if you were awake.
Cheers!