[Mimedefang] Viruses: Bounce or Discard?

[Ben Kamen]

David F. Skoll wrote:

> On Mon, 29 Sep 2003, Ben Kamen wrote:
> 
> 
>>Well - hmmm... so I would blame my mom/dad and charge her/him $0.10 for
>>every virus they send out because some script-kiddie wrote malware on a
>>platform from a company that's known for thumbing up their nose at the
>>concept of security.
>>
> 
> Yes.
> 
> It's called "fixing a distortion in the marketplace" or
> "making people responsible for their choices".


<sigh> As much as I agree with you (and I do - just playing devil's 
advocate) - they don't HAVE a choice.  Well, other than to buy Mac's 
which I suppose is one option. Unfortunately, they want to exchange all 
this stuff between friends and Macs still have that stigma.

>>Too bad we can't charge back M$ with the problem in terms of wasted
>>bandwidth. I think if we were fair and charged it per byte against the
>>charge for a line's given monthly bandwidth, it would add up to some
>>real party money.
>>
> 
> Believe me, if one million mom-n-pop shops got an itemized invoice
> from their ISPs explaining why this month's bill was $100 more than
> last month's, there'd be some serious customer action against
> Microsoft.


This is very true - and an interesting aspect to consider. I like it.

>>But blaming the user for using an OS they almost "have" to... that's
>>tough. There is a responsible party.. I just don't think it's the end user.
>>
> 
> Neither do I.  But end-users can't get compensation from Microsoft
> unless they themselves are harmed financially first. If you
> unknowingly buy stolen goods or accept counterfeit money, you're still
> on the hook.  It's up to you to try to get compensation from the real
> perpetrator.  IMO, the same idea should apply to viruses.  The only
> difference is that in the case of viruses, there's at least an
> identifiable target to go after.

Again - agreed. One the bills start piling up and people start declaring 
bankruptcy because of MicroSoft Malware.. (I can hear it now, "don't let 
Microsoft affect your good credit rating.. call So and So Lawyers today.")

That would be funny and an interesting twist of fate. Apple Computers 
would love it.

  -Ben