In a few hours I will be on the way to Singapore.  It has been a busy day getting packed and organized for the trip.  As of 11:10 a.m. this morning, I had already received 83 spam emails.  Fortunately, every single one of them was automatically placed in my "junk mail" folder and I did not have to look at them. I see no possibility that the pending legislation can solve the enormous spam problem, but I am quite optimistic that technology can solve it.  SpamNet from Cloudmmark works incredibly well.  Not only did it catch the 83 spam emails, but it did not move any email that it should not have.  I’m really pleased with how this is working.  That is in contrast to how well I think the National Do Not Call registry will work. The problem is the exceptions.

If you register your number on the National Do Not Call Registry, will it stop all telemarketing calls? No. The exception section of the registry says, "Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most, but not all, telemarketing calls. Some businesses are exempt from the national registry and still can call you even if you place your number on. Exempt businesses include the following:

• Long-distance phone companies
• Airlines
• Banks and credit unions
• The business of insurance, to the extent that it is regulated by state law.
• Political organizations
• Charities
• Telephone surveyors
• Companies with which you have an existing business relationship

Of all the annoying unwanted phone calls I receive, all of them would be exempt. The only beneficiaries that I can see from the new registry are attorneys dealing with the complaints that will flood into the government. A “do not spam” registry would be even worse. As soon as spam gets defined in the legislation, spammers will immediately re-define themselves in ways to fall within the exceptions. (see prior Do Not Call story)

Time running out now. Have to go for a short motorcycle ride and then head to John F Kennedy Airport for 21 hours of flying. Stay tuned.