> What happens if someone takes the telephone and does the equivalent of a
> spam?  What if they hooked the phone to their pc, and had it dial number
> after number, and play some kind of recording to each person that answered?
> To promote whatever drivel they have.  What if they targetted a specific
> group, like Jews (for example if they got a phone number list from a
> local synagogue) and send them all voice calls about how the holocaust never
> happened... what are the consequences there?  It seems to me that if the
> situations are similar, the results should be similar.  I don't know much
> about these kind of laws but there ought to be some kind of harrassment
> laws out there...
 
The problem of course is that in a given area there is only ONE telephone
company!  If I annoy them enough to disconnect me I have to move to
try again.  At that, there aren't that many "baby bell's" and local
access providers in the whole USA!  These "spammers" on the other hand
depend on the fact that there are LOTS of providers available and the
only "move" needed is a new phone number.
 
As I wrote that, an interesting thought occurred to me.  Assuming the
spammer DOES use the telephone to put the message on the internet, they
are probably liable under certain wire faud laws!  I would say that
generally these laws are MUCH tougher and easier to prosecute under
than "computer laws" (whatever those are).
 
Hmmm . . . interesting idea . . . anyone got a $100,000 laying around
for a test case?
 
Frank