[LINK] RFI: 'mailing list update'

Wed Apr 7 22:01:33 EST 2004

Am I being naive?

I've received a small cluster of emails from miscellaneous companies 
over the last couple of days, claiming to be stimulated by the Spam 
Act implementation date.

Ever the sceptic, I assumed they were spam, or scam.

But a couple were from people like the Australian Institute of 
Company Directors.  (I'm not a member, but I've been on premises in 
Sydney that purported to be AICD, and they *seemed* like what they 
were supposed to be.  'If it's in George St, it *must* be true').

So I began to wonder if maybe these were real emails, emanating from 
real organisations, which were taking their responsibilities under 
Australian law quite seriously.

I've pored over a couple of them, and haven't detected any nasties.

Below is the text of an email I received this evening (less a few 
lines of stupid filler-gifs), followed by the html.

A Link Institute Bronze Award goes to anyone who can show me that I'm 
a naive old fool and that there's more to this than meets my eye.

>From: "CommandHub" <maillist at commandhub.com>
>To: "Roger Clarke" <Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au>
>Subject: mailing list update
>Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2004 16:15:55 +1000
>
>In compliance with the new anti-spam legislation this email is to 
>clarify your inclusion in our mailing list.
>
>Unless we receive your positive response, via the link below, your 
>email address will be automatically removed from this mailing list.
>
>With a major new release of the CommandHub system later this month, 
>which includes new Board / Committee features as well as significant 
>'data room' and 'deal room' functionality, we trust you will wish to 
>continue receiving our quarterly updates.
>
><mailto:subscribe at commandhub.com?Subject=Subscribe>click here if you 
>wish to remain on the CommandHub mailing list

<x-html><!x-stuff-for-pete base="" src="" id="0" charset=""><html>
<head>
<style type="text/css">
p { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 
12px; color: #000000}
.nav { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 
11px; color: #3333cc}
</style>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" leftmargin="0" topmargin="0" 
marginwidth="0" marginheight="0">

<center>
<br>
<table width="600" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
	<tr><td colspan=5 height=1 bgcolor=#c0c0c0><img 
src="http://www.commandhub.com/news/images/spacer.gif" width=600 
height=1></td></tr>
	<tr valign="top">
	<td width=1 bgcolor=#c0c0c0><img 
src="http://www.commandhub.com/news/images/spacer.gif" width=1></td>
	<td width=598>
	<table width="598" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
		<tr valign="top">
		<td width=10></td>
		<td width="578" align="right">
	     	<a href="http://www.commandhub.com" 
target="_new"><img 
src="http://www.commandhub.com/news/images/chlogo_small.jpg" 
width="100" height="58" vspace="5" border="0"></a>
        	</td>
		<td width="10"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr valign="top">
		<td width=10></td>
		<td width="578">
      		<p align="justify">In compliance with the new 
anti-spam legislation this email is to clarify your inclusion in our 
mailing list.
      		<p align="justify">Unless we receive your positive 
response, via the link below, your email address will be 
automatically removed from this mailing list.
      		<p align="justify">With a major new release of the 
CommandHub system later this month, which includes new Board / 
Committee features as well as significant 'data room' and 'deal room' 
functionality, we trust you will wish to continue receiving our 
quarterly updates.
      		<p align="center"><br><a 
href="mailto:subscribe at commandhub.com?Subject=Subscribe">click here 
if you wish to remain on the CommandHub mailing list</a><br>
        	<br><br>
        	</td>
		<td width="10"></td>
		</tr>
		</table>
	<td width=1 bgcolor=#c0c0c0><img 
src="http://www.commandhub.com/news/images/spacer.gif" width=1 
height=1></td>
         </tr>
	</table>
<table width="600" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
	<tr valign="top">
	<td><a href="http://www.commandhub.com" target="_new"><img 
src="http://www.commandhub.com/news/images/newstop.jpg" width="600" 
height="71" border="0"></a>
	</td>
	</tr>
	</table>
</center>
</body>
</html>
</x-html>

-- 
Roger Clarke              http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                 Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au            http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program, University of Hong Kong
Visiting Professor in the Baker Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre, U.N.S.W
Visiting Fellow in Computer Science, Australian National University