'In December 2006 alone, administrators deleted over 25,000 spam posts and responses.'
Winnipeg (12 Jan. 2007) - The Manitoba Government and General Employees Union (MGEU/NUPGE) has given up fighting internet spammers.
The MGEU announced this week that it is closing down its message forum and redesigning its website to create a new Blog Page to keep members informed "and provide an avenue of discussion on pertinent topics."
Over the past two years, the MGEU has waged an escalating battle with spammers.
"In December 2006 alone, administrators deleted over 25,000 spam posts and responses. Frequent visitors will have noticed these spam ads – which promoted everything from phony stocks to cheap prices on drugs - amongst their comments," the union notes.
"But the main concern was with the offensive material bombarding the forum, including pornographic links. Aside from being distasteful, these ads posed a security threat to visitors, as unsecured sites often contain malicious computer viruses, which can be unknowingly downloaded by the user simply by clicking the link."
The union tried to screen out spammers by adopting stricter sign-up procedures but the offenders soon found ways to get around the barriers and the situation grew worse.
"To ensure no illicit materials were being posted on the site, administrators would have had to monitor the message board at all hours of every day. This was simply not feasible," the MGEU says.
"We want to sincerely thank all of the members who have participated over the past two years. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact the MGEU Resource Centre." NUPGE
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