[LINK] I did my duty - and reported spam

[Stilgherrian]

On 24/7/07 6:47 AM, "sylvano" <sylvano at gnomon.com.au> wrote:
> I did my duty and used the ACMA online (unregistered
> user access) facility to the Spam reporting page,
> after having received an unsolicited email from the
> Citizens' Electoral Council (CEC) about their views,
> reactions and otherwise of the ABC's broadcast of the
> warming swindle and follow debate.
> 
> The CEC advises the recipient that Schedule 1 of the
> Act let's them spam people, but of course the Act says,
> "Unsolicited commercial electronic messages must not be
> sent" where an email from a registered political party
> is a commerical electronic message.

This is an interesting case, and one that highlights another issue which
concerns me...

I understand that Sylvano (and others) wouldn't have wanted to receive this
email from the CEC. However the intention of the Act is to block
*commercial* messages (i.e. someone selling something for money) but to
allow *political* messages.

Leaving aside the question of whether political messages should be exempted
from being counted as spam... Why do political messages have to come from "a
registered political party"? If political messages are allowed, shouldn't we
*all* be able to send them, no matter whether part of an "organization" or
not? Perhaps I might be trying to *start* such an organization.

Just a thought...

Stil



P.S. A note for those who don't bother to think before they post:

  * I did NOT say that I supported spam (I don't)
  * I did not say I believe that political messages should be
    exempt from counting a spam (I am undecided)
  * I did not say I supported the CEC (I don't)
  * I did not say anything one way or the other about global warming
    (and that's off-topic anyway)

    My question is purely about the idea that politics may only be
    discussed in the context of "registered political parties".


-- 
Stilgherrian http://stilgherrian.com/
Internet, IT and Media Consulting, Sydney, Australia
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