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America Online Unleashes Aggressive Campaign Against Unsolicited Email

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

America Online, Inc. CEO Steve Case announced a new, more aggressive campaign against unsolicited email, also known as spam, at the Jupiter Consumer Online Conference on Thursday. The company warned that it may seek federal legislation to eliminate spammers and unveiled its "10 Most Wanted Spammer List," targeting companies like Lovetoys Online and loseweight.org. AOL has been fighting spam for months by providing members with tools to control unwanted email, educating them about spam, and filing over 500 cease and desist letters to spammers. The company has also been successful in its anti-spam lawsuits, including a recent default judgment against Prime Data Worldnet Systems, Inc., and a permanent injunction against Squeaky Clean Marketing.

Key Takeaways:

  • America Online, Inc. has launched a new campaign against unsolicited email, including a "10 Most Wanted Spammer List" targeting companies like Lovetoys Online and loseweight.org.
  • The company has been fighting spam for months through various means, including providing members with tools to control unwanted email and educating them about spam.
  • AOL has filed over 500 cease and desist letters to spammers and has been successful in its anti-spam lawsuits, including a recent default judgment against Prime Data Worldnet Systems, Inc.
  • AOL has also obtained a permanent injunction against Squeaky Clean Marketing, barring them from ever emailing AOL members again.
  • The company warned that it may seek federal legislation to eliminate spammers.
  • America Online has been proactive in its efforts to combat spam, filing lawsuits against companies like Web Communications and Sex Web, Inc., and obtaining a judgment against Prime Data Worldnet Systems, Inc.
  • The company's anti-spam efforts have been successful in reducing the volume of unwanted email sent to AOL members.

Statistics:

  • Over 11 million members use America Online, the world's largest branded Internet service.
  • America Online operates two worldwide Internet services: AOL, with over 11 million members, and CompuServe, with over 2 million members.
  • The company has filed over 500 cease and desist letters to spammers.
  • America Online has been successful in its anti-spam lawsuits, including a recent default judgment against Prime Data Worldnet Systems, Inc.
  • The company has obtained a permanent injunction against Squeaky Clean Marketing, barring them from ever emailing AOL members again.

Sources:

  • America Online, Inc. - Unknown publication date
  • Jupiter Consumer Online Conference - Unknown publication date
  • USA Today - "AOL Sues Spammer" - October 18, 1997 (Quote by AOL's George Vradenburg)
  • CompuServe website - "AOL Sues Spammer" - December 18, 1997 (Quote by AOL's George Vradenburg)
  • America Online, Inc. - "AOL Announces New Anti-Spam Lawsuit" - Unknown publication date

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