Ancestry.com/myfamily.com is a spammer
Wes Groleau
myfamily "news" I get constantly from well-meaning
distant relatives. I don't fault the relatives for
signing me up--I fault "myfamily" for
(1) tricking them into doing it
(2) adding tons of advertising to the "news"
(3) ignoring cease and desist demands
I finally programmed my account to bounce ti to the
error address they put in the headers. Don't know why
they do that, because they don't use it to delete
seemingly invalid addresses.
And now, they have somehow acquired my work address, and
are sending not even news, but pure advertisements.
--
Wes Groleau
Free speech has its limits
http://Ideas.Lang-Learn.us/WWW?itemid=99
D. Stussy
news:GOQ4k.15460$3j2.3620@trnddc03...
> For years, they have ignored all demands to stop the
> myfamily "news" I get constantly from well-meaning
> distant relatives. I don't fault the relatives for
> signing me up--I fault "myfamily" for
>
> (1) tricking them into doing it
> (2) adding tons of advertising to the "news"
> (3) ignoring cease and desist demands
>
> I finally programmed my account to bounce ti to the
> error address they put in the headers. Don't know why
> they do that, because they don't use it to delete
> seemingly invalid addresses.
>
> And now, they have somehow acquired my work address, and
> are sending not even news, but pure advertisements.
I've blocked the "myfamily.com" domain from my mail server for 6 years now.
Also notice that their web site no longer works with javascript disabled.
That is so they can covertly scan your computer looking for information that
you haven't posted to them.
Charani
> That is so they can covertly scan your computer looking for information that
> you haven't posted to them.
That is scaremongering. If your computer is secure, they can't, and I
doubt very much that they do. If you are/were getting mail relating
to information you hadn't posted to them, then they were more likely
to be picking it up from other sources where you did post the
information.
Charani
>> I finally programmed my account to bounce ti to the
>> error address they put in the headers. Don't know why
>> they do that, because they don't use it to delete
>> seemingly invalid addresses.
A genuine bounce is very different from one that is produced by an
individual or a program such as Mailwasher. They would have known
that and know your address is still valid.
If they have your work address, then someone gave it to them.
singhals
> For years, they have ignored all demands to stop the
> myfamily "news" I get constantly from well-meaning
> distant relatives. I don't fault the relatives for
> signing me up--I fault "myfamily" for
>
> (1) tricking them into doing it
> (2) adding tons of advertising to the "news"
> (3) ignoring cease and desist demands
>
> I finally programmed my account to bounce ti to the
> error address they put in the headers. Don't know why
> they do that, because they don't use it to delete
> seemingly invalid addresses.
>
> And now, they have somehow acquired my work address, and
> are sending not even news, but pure advertisements.
>
At the bottom of each of those "news" announcements I
receive is a link to say "I don't want this anymore." Do
your messages not have that link?
Cheryl
D. Stussy
news:485b5404$0$26082$db0f...@news.zen.co.uk...
Excuse me: There are valid commands in javascript that can open and read
local files. On a Windows machine, one can even read and WRITE to the
registry.
Shell.RegWrite( item, value );
A secure computer has javascript DISABLED.
Wes Groleau
> At the bottom of each of those "news" announcements I receive is a link
> to say "I don't want this anymore." Do your messages not have that link?
They did back before I started my "return to sender"
filter. But they never honored them.
--
Wes Groleau
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible
will make violent revolution inevitable.
-- John F. Kennedy
Charani
> Excuse me: There are valid commands in javascript that can open and read
> local files. On a Windows machine, one can even read and WRITE to the
> registry.
Like I said, with a secure machine, it can't happen.
> A secure computer has javascript DISABLED.
I have a secure machine and I also have javascript enabled. You just
need to know which security programs to use to stop such antics. You
also need to block Active X if using IE.
I don't use IE but I do use SpywareBlaster which stops any
unauthorised changes to the registry. A HOSTS file will also prevent
the same thing.
Bob LeChevalier
All of which is beside the point. The fact that myfamily.com and
Ancestry use javascript does not necessarily mean that they misuse it
to gather information from their users (outside that specifically
needed to exercise whatever function is being performed, and there has
been no evidence that this information is collected by the company).
That someone COULD misuse software does not mean that they do so. The
PR aspects of doing so with a company like ancestry that relies on the
confidence of a large public militates against doing so.
lojbab
Bob LeChevalier - artificial linguist; genealogist
loj...@lojban.org Lojban language www.lojban.org
Charani
> All of which is beside the point. The fact that myfamily.com and
> Ancestry use javascript does not necessarily mean that they misuse it
> to gather information from their users (outside that specifically
> needed to exercise whatever function is being performed, and there has
> been no evidence that this information is collected by the company).
>
> That someone COULD misuse software does not mean that they do so. The
> PR aspects of doing so with a company like ancestry that relies on the
> confidence of a large public militates against doing so.
I agree with you totally: "could" does not mean "does". That is why I
said D.Stussy's comments were scaremongering.
I also don't agree with the OP's contention that Ancestry/myfamily are
spammers.
Wes Groleau
> I also don't agree with the OP's contention that Ancestry/myfamily are
> spammers.
We each have our own definitions of words.
In mine, all of the following are spamming:
1. Persuading folks who don't know better to
"invite/inform your friends" and then adding
advertisements to the message.
2. Blaming it on my not knowing a password that I never
asked for when I go to an unsubscribe link.
3. Ignoring demands to remove an address from a list
that were sent to support addresses I went to the
trouble of finding out.
4. Prechecking a box on a feedback form that says
"please send me stuff"
5. Sending it anyway when the box is intentionally
UNchecked.
One through four have been done to me by myfamily.com
Five, I am not sure, but I do know others have done it.
--
Wes Groleau
You always have time for what you do first.
SeasonPlanner Sales
> For years, they have ignored all demands to stop themyfamily"news" I get constantly from well-meaning
The problem with free offerings for family websites is they are not
free.
They are advertising delivery paths for the provider.
Rather that go this route families would be better server purchasing a
site
free of advertisers.
It is a much better route and has served our family well.
We use www.familylifeandtimes.com but their are a lot of reasonable
price
options for families ranging from $5-$50 per month.
Ken Barley
Jeff
>
> We use www.familylifeandtimes.com
I'm sure you do, since that domain was registered by B&B Software and
your Email address is also for B&B Software.
Charani
> I'm sure you do, since that domain was registered by B&B Software and
> your Email address is also for B&B Software.
Thanks for confirming my suspicion that he's a spammer.
D. Stussy
news:u1op54999up0j5sab...@4ax.com...
> Charani <SGBNOSPAM@ mail2genes.invalid> wrote:
> >On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:55:56 -0700, D. Stussy wrote:
> >> Excuse me: There are valid commands in javascript that can open and
read
> >> local files. On a Windows machine, one can even read and WRITE to the
> >> registry.
> >
> >Like I said, with a secure machine, it can't happen.
> >
> >> A secure computer has javascript DISABLED.
> >
> >I have a secure machine and I also have javascript enabled. You just
> >need to know which security programs to use to stop such antics. You
> >also need to block Active X if using IE.
> >
> >I don't use IE but I do use SpywareBlaster which stops any
> >unauthorised changes to the registry. A HOSTS file will also prevent
> >the same thing.
>
> All of which is beside the point. The fact that myfamily.com and
> Ancestry use javascript does not necessarily mean that they misuse it
> to gather information from their users (outside that specifically
> needed to exercise whatever function is being performed, and there has
> been no evidence that this information is collected by the company).
That's the problem. Most uses of javascript yield BROKEN web sites for
those who have PROPERLY secured their machines by disabling it.
> That someone COULD misuse software does not mean that they do so. The
> PR aspects of doing so with a company like ancestry that relies on the
> confidence of a large public militates against doing so.
And just because they don't isn't sufficient reason for me to open up my
machine. The fact that they could is enough to deny them that type of
access.
D. Stussy
I'm not scaremongering. I don't give them a chance to invade my machine.
That's what SECURE means. Javascript is not secure regardless of which
actual extensions and functions are used.
Charani
> I'm not scaremongering. I don't give them a chance to invade my machine.
> That's what SECURE means. Javascript is not secure regardless of which
> actual extensions and functions are used.
I don't allow any unauthorised access to my machine. *That's* what
secure means! I don't use any extensions or functions. I use proper
security programs to do real security on my PC. Nothing is allowed
into or out of my PC unless *I* say so. Nothing gets altered in the
registry unless *I* say so.
And, yes, you *were* scaremongering.
us...@domain.invalid
Can you explain how I can use the Javascript in Firefox or Internet Explorer 7
or Opera to compromise my computer? All I know how to do to the
computer is write and read cookies. I'm aware of the calls in standalone
Javascript that could do it, but they are not supposed to exist in
the hosted web versions.
Doug McDonald