Networking site Facebook wins huge damages against spammer news
26 November 2008

Popular online networking site Facebook has won $873 million damages claim against a Canadian man who bombarded the popular online hangout with sexually explicit "spam" messages. Even though collecting the fine is an unlikely event, the judgement may serve as a major deterrent to further transgressions.

The victory, sealed with a judge's order issued last Friday, probably won't yield a windfall for privately held Facebook Inc, whose revenue this year is expected to range between $250 million to $300 million. But Facebook is hoping the size of the judgment will scare off other spammers who might be tempted to target the Palo Alto, California-based company's audience of more than 120 million users.

"Everyone who participates constructively in Facebook should feel confident that we are fighting hard to protect you against spam and other online nuisances," Max Kelly, Facebook's director of security, wrote on the company's blog.

US district Judge Jeremy Fogel in San Jose signed the default judgment on Friday. Facebook filed the lawsuit against Guerbuez, of Montreal, and his business, Atlantis Blue Capital, in August. Facebook called the judgment the largest ever under a federal anti-spam law. Sam O'Rourke, senior counsel at the company, said it would serve as a deterrent to other spammers.

The case against Guerbuez and his business, Atlantis Blue Capital, illustrates how Internet rogues can manipulate Facebook's communications system to unleash massive marketing blitzes. According to Facebook, Guerbuez fooled its users into providing him with their usernames and passwords. One method was the use of fake Web sites that posed as legitimate destinations.

After Guerbuez gained access to user's personal profiles, he used computer programmes to send out more than 4 million messages promoting a variety of products, including marijuana and penis enlargement products, during March and April of this year, Facebook said.

"Despite the resources dedicated to spam eradication, current available technology does not permit Facebook to completely prevent the transmission of spam on its site," the company's lawyers wrote in the case against Guerbuez.

The spammer is banned from accessing Facebook ever again and the site will collect as much money as they can for the damage they've sustained. In a similar case, Facebook rival MySpace won a conflict with a spammer earlier this year, winning $230 million from notorious junk mailer Sanford 'Spamford' Wallace and Walter Rines. This extremely high fines for spamming might solve this issue one and for all.

See: MySpace wins record $230 million award against ''spam king'' Sanford Wallace


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Networking site Facebook wins huge damages against spammer