To All: amaturish attempt to manipulate AOL stock...
I would be very interested to hear from anyone else who "accidently" received this e-mail, and also to hear from anyone who has information about Capital Markets Communications.
I haven't posted here in quite some time, and anyone who remembers when I have should realize that for the most part I haven't been particularly bullish on AOL.
To be honest, I'm not sure exactly what my current opinion is, as I haven't been following the stock or the company much.
But something appeared in my mailbox today that I felt obligated to share here. Though I doubt that it will be successful, there appears to be an amateurish spam campaign designed to influence AOL trading (in the negative).
While I myself am basically bearish on AOL, I abhor this sort of activity. Let the stock rise or fall on it's own merits, not on the basis of a made-up (and rediculous) smear campaign.
The entire text and full headers of the e-mail I received appear below. While I can't be certain, the pattern follows a common spamming techique, in which the recepient is (falsely) led to beleive that they have somehow accidently intercepted some private communication.
(Indeed, the sender threatened me with legal action for "illegally intercepting private e-mail" when I complained about the spam.)
I did read the content, and am qualified to comment on the allegations made. I am a software engineer, with 20 years experience. The allegation that is made is, plain and simple, poppycock. If this is indicative of the ex-employee's (my guess is it's a made-up name, and not the name of anyone who ever worked for AOL...) technical knowledge, it's understandable why they no longer work for AOL. ;)
Because this seems to be an attempt to influence the trading of a publically-traded company, I am also forwarding this to the SEC and NASD Regulation. I'm sure that they will be able to quickly determine whether or not "Janet Snyder" really exists, and whether there is any merit in her story... ;)
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To: wr1a@aol.com
From: Capital Markets Communications <capmark@idt.net> (by way of Trafalmadore <nymg@pipeline.com>)
Subject: Fwd: Fw: AOL Privacy
Status: O
>From: WINDTOGO@aol.com
>Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 11:13:05 -0500 (EST)
>To: capmark@idt.net
>Subject: Fwd: Fw: AOL Privacy
>
>Jim,
>
> Thought you might find this of interest.
>
>Bob
>---------------------
>Forwarded message:
>From: jackman@gate.net (John/Jack Kearney)
>To: comedylord@AOL.COM (Vinnie Cappola), tolanaomi@AOL.COM (Veronica Wilson),
>MRJCSR@AOL.COM (The Conti's), windtogo@AOL.COM (Terry Gattey), KRice@CH2M.com
>(Rice, Karen/ANC), Quentin@seacoastnh.com (Quentin Eastman),
>pjh@martinade.com (Pammy), nudgewink@AOL.COM, nehldown@AOL.COM (Nehl Bobal),
>DieZeit7@AOL.COM (Mark Caprolione), LRader9579@AOL.COM (Lynn Rader),
>LRand628@AOL.COM (Larry Rand), aahyee1@AOL.COM (Lance Montalto),
>pywack1043@AOL.COM (Karen Price(home)), cwbycomic@AOL.COM (John Austin),
>mojoe@rocketmail.com (Joe & Molly Van Gieson), eddie@eagnet.com (Eddie
>Wasserman jr), GeneTCB@AOL.COM (Gene McQuire), stepover@AOL.COM (Al Katz)
>Date: 97-11-14 13:46:59 EST
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: PHILIP A. CLORITE
><CLORIPA@GWSMTP.NU.COM>
>To: jackman@gate.net <jackman@gate.net>;
>ADAMSJA@GWSMTP.NU.COM
><ADAMSJA@GWSMTP.NU.COM>; GOVONDR@GWSMTP.NU.COM
><GOVONDR@GWSMTP.NU.COM>;
>MCKINCM@GWSMTP.NU.COM <MCKINCM@GWSMTP.NU.COM>;
>SAMORCJ@GWSMTP.NU.COM
><SAMORCJ@GWSMTP.NU.COM>; TOPALJA@GWSMTP.NU.COM
><TOPALJA@GWSMTP.NU.COM>;
>TUTTLFC@GWSMTP.NU.COM <TUTTLFC@GWSMTP.NU.COM>;
>VELARJJ@GWSMTP.NU.COM
><VELARJJ@GWSMTP.NU.COM>
>Date: Thursday, November 13,
>1997 5:24 PM
>Subject: AOL Privacy
>
>
>>Subject: AOL PRIVACY
>VIOLATION
>>
>>
>>>JUST SOME AOL INFO THAT YOU ALL SHOULD READ. IT IS ABOUT
>A VIOLATION OF
>>OUR
>>>COMPUTER PRIVACY.
>>>
>>>MATT
>>>
>>>>From a former
>AOL employee:
>>>>
>>>>I'll try and cut through the crap, and try to get to
>the point of this
>>>>letter. I used to work for America Online, and would
>like to remain
>>>>anonymous for that reason. I was laid off in early
>September, but I
>>>>know exactly why I was laid off, which I will now
>explain:
>>>>
>>>>Since last December, I had been one of the many people
>assigned to
>>>>design AOL 4.0 for Windows (AOL 4.0 beta, codenamed
>Casablanca). In
>>>>the beginning, I was very proud of this task, until I
>found out the true
>>>>cost of it. Things were going fine until about
>mid-February, when me
>>>>and 2 of my colleagues started to suspect a
>problem, an unexplainable
>>>>'Privacy Invasion', with the new version. One
>of them, who is a master
>>>>programmer, copied the finished portion of the
>new version (Then 'Build
>>>>52'), and took it home, and we spent nearly 2
>weeks of sleepless nights
>>>>examining and debugging the program, flipping
>it inside-out, and here is
>>>>what we found.
>>>>
>>>>Unlike all previous
>versions of America Online, version 4.0 puts
>>>>something in your hard drive
>called a 'cookie'. (AOL members click here
>>>>(Keyword to:
>aol://4344:1047.g334.8411481.532897009) for a
>>>>definition). However, the
>cookie we found on Version 4.0 was far more
>>>>treacherous than the simple
>internet cookie. How would you like
>>>>somebody looking at your entire hard
>drive, snooping through any (yes,
>>>>any) piece of information on your hard
>drive. It could also read your
>>>>password and log in information and store
>it deep in the program code.
>>>>Well, all previous versions, whether you
>like it or not, have done this
>>>>to a certain extent, but only with files
>you downloaded. As me and my
>>>>colleagues discovered, with the new
>version, anytime you are signed on
>>>>to AOL, any top aol executive, any aol
>worker, who has been sworn to
>>>>secrecy regarding this feature, can go into
>your hard drive and retrieve
>>>>any piece of information that they so
>desire. Billing, download
>>>>records, e-mail, directories, personal
>documents, programs, financial
>>>>information, scanned images, etc ...
>Better start keeping all those
>>>>pictures on a floppy disk!
>>>>
>>>>This
>is a totally disgusting violation of our rights, and your right to
>>>>know
>as well. Since this is undoubtably 'Top Secret' information that I
>>>>am
>revealing, my life at AOL is pretty much over. After discovering
>>>>this
>information, we started to inform a few other workers at America
>>>>Online,
>so that we could get a large enough crew to stop this from
>>>>happening to
>the millions of unfortunate and unsuspecting America Online
>>>>members.
> This was in early August. One month later, all three of us
>>>>were
>unemployed. We got together, and figured there was something we
>>>>had to
>do to let the public know.
>>>>
>>>>Unemployed, with one of us going through
>a divorce (me) and another who
>>>>is about to undergo treatment for Cancer,
>our combined financial
>>>>situation is not currently enough to release any
>sort or article. We
>>>>attepted to create a web page on three different
>servers containing
>>>>in-depth information on AOL 4.0, but all three were
>taken down within 2
>>>>days. We were running very low on time (4.0 is
>released early this
>>>>winter), so we figured our last hope to reveal this
>madness before it
>>>>effects the people was starting something similar to a
>chain letter,
>>>>this letter you are reading. Please do the following, to
>help us expose
>>>>AOL for who they really are, and to help us and yourself
>recieve
>>>>personal gratification for taking a stand for our
>freedom:
>>>>
>>>>1. Forward this letter to as many people as you can (not
>just friends
>>>>and family, as many as you can!)
>>>>
>>>>2. Tell people
>who aren't on America Online in person, especially
>>>>important people
>(Private Investigators, Government workers, City
>>>>Council)
>>>>
>>>>3. If
>the information about the new version isn't exposed by the time
>>>>aol is
>released early this winter, for your own protection, DON'T
>>>>DOWNLOAD AOL
>4.0 UNDER ANY CONDITION !!!
>>>>
>>>>Thank you for reading and examining this
>information. Me and my
>>>>colleagues hope that you will help us do the
>right thing in this
>>>>situation. Enjoy America Online (just
>kidding!).
>>>>
>>>>Regards,
>>>>A former AOL employee
>>>>
>>>Janet Snyder
> ;-)
>>>University of San Francisco
>>>School of
>Education
>>>(415)422-2874
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> |
