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| -------------------------------- By PETER H. LEWIS -------------------------------- In a move that is certain to increase the turmoil on global computer networks, two Arizona lawyers said yesterday that they had formed a company with the goal of making commercial advertising pervasive on the Internet. |
The pair's previous commercial, or 'spamming,' led to roars of protests. | |
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In doing so, they shunned a plan, announced
earlier this week by two other companies, to create specific advertising
zones on Usenet News, a popular network that is connected to the Internet, a
global web of computer networks. The advertising zones, which would
require advertisers to pay a fee to place their messages on the network,
would theoretically allow the estimated 20 million Internet users to choose
whether they viewed advertisements or not. The new advertising company, called Cybersell, was started by Laurence A. Canter and Martha S. Siegel, husband-and-wife partners in the immigration law firm of Canter & Siegel in Phoenix. Focus of Criticism Mr. Canter and Ms.
Siegel have been the focus of intense criticism on several computer networks
since April 12, when they posted an advertisement offering their legal
services on thousands of Usenet bulletin boards, called news groups.
The advertisements were deliberately placed without regard for the interests
of the specific new groups. Violation of Tradition There are no laws prohibiting
the posting of advertisements on Usenet or elsewhere on the Internet, but
the act violated long-held traditions against random placement of any type
of messages on news groups. Such scatter-shot messaging is known as
"spamming." ... |
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