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Technology Stocks : InfoSpace (INSP): Where GNET went! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: levy who wrote (25497)	3/5/2001 2:44:23 PM
From: The O	Respond to of 28311

That is interesting. You gotta figure that PA has lost a butt load on his investment in GNET. I wonder if his relationship with Russ has been soured. Based on the account from the BOD, it would seem that Russ lost the backing of VV, but who knows. O

To: levy who wrote (25497)	3/5/2001 5:09:23 PM
From: KLP	Respond to of 28311

On Breaking News....Mar 5, 2001 - 04:44 PM Hotmail Addresses Shared With Internet Directory Site By D. Ian Hopper Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Hotmail, the free e-mail service from Microsoft, is divulging subscribers' e-mail addresses, cities and states to a public Internet directory site that combines the information with telephone numbers and home addresses. Hotmail customers are automatically added to Infospace's Internet White Pages directory unless they remove the check from a box in their registration form and "opt out," company officials said. Critics say users may be putting themselves at risk of receiving junk e-mail, known as spam, because they overlook the check box. Once their information makes the directory, it is easily obtained by advertisers. "Once your e-mail addresses get into the spammers' databases, you can't get it out again," said Internet activist Bennett Haselton, who made the discovery. Sarah Lefko, product manager for MSN, Microsoft's Internet service, said Hotmail is complying with the company's privacy policy because consumers can choose whether they want to be in the directory or not. "We're clearly stating what this is," Lefko said. "It's a consumer benefit." Hotmail's privacy policy states that Microsoft will not "sell, lease or rent" users' e-mail addresses. Lefko declined comment on Microsoft's business relationship with Infospace, or whether there was money involved in the deal. Hotmail provides an automatic deletion service which scans incoming messages to find unwanted spam, but it doesn't catch everything. When people sign up for Hotmail accounts, each is offered an Internet White Pages listing. The site describes the listing by saying the user's "name, location and Hotmail e-mail address will be automatically listed in one or more Internet e-mail directories." The option to have the Hotmail address listed with InfoSpace is prechecked. Lefko defended the default setting. "Clearly when you're signing up for a new Hotmail account, you have the opportunity to uncheck that," Lefko said. An Infospace representative declined comment. Normally, InfoSpace shields a person's e-mail address. When a listing appears, there is only a "Send E-mail" link that leads to a form, which is then sent to the recipient. The sender never sees the recipient's address. The site explains: "For privacy, we don't show the full email addresses of people listed in our directories." However, users and advertisers can easily obtain the addresses using two options: they can enter the search area through a "backdoor" page that is easy to find, or they can enter the search area using a Hotmail account. In both cases, e-mail addresses are shown. With a small adjustment, the site also will display 100 listings per page rather than the default five, which also makes it easier for spammers to collect addresses. John Mozena, spokesman for Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail, said the public lists are a problem. "Spammers never do anything one-by-one," he said. Hotmail user Chris Livermore of Redmond, Wash., said he keeps one Hotmail address private, given out only to friends. But now he gets almost 20 unwanted e-mails per week. His address is on the White Pages list. "Within a couple months, the account will be unusable," Livermore said. "To try to wade through about 20 spam messages to get to your own messages, it's horrible." --- On the Net: Hotmail: hotmail.com Bennett Haselton's page: peacefire.org InfoSpace: infospace.com AP-ES-03-05-01 1643EST

To: levy who wrote (25497)	3/6/2001 12:55:17 PM
From: Susan G	Respond to of 28311

Just got this playsite e-mail... COMING SOON: A NEW PLAYSITE There'll be more fun than ever before on PlaySite. The PlaySite service is changing to bring you a better and easier-to-use online gaming environment. Everything from signup to the look and feel of the site will be different, all in an effort to provide even more hours of gaming fun. The new service launches in early March, and we encourage everyone to visit, sign up, play a game, and find out why PlaySite is one of the hottest gaming properties on the Net. There'll be new games to play, new things to do, and new people to meet and play with online. Play a game of Euchre, Spades, Hearts, Backgammon and try out our newest card game, Gin! Make sure to try exclusive word games like Tangleword. And don't miss any of the new Hasbro Games, offered in partnership with Games.com. Top titles Scrabble, Battleship and eight new arcade games are on the site. Throw away your quarters and play classics like Asteroids, Battlezone, Centipede, Gravitar, Missile Command, Tempest, Red Baron and Super Breakout! Don't be left out. Keep checking PlaySite for the most recent developments. And remember to have fun! PlaySite playsite.com