10 billion emails a day
An Aussie bloke accused of being the mastermind of the
world's largest online spam operation has been fined $210,000 by a Brisbane
court.
The court heard how Lance Thomas Atkinson, 26, who today
failed to appear in court, sent out 10 billion emails a day. Atkinson was also banned from sending unsolicited
commercial emails for the next seven years by the Federal Court in Brisbane. Atkinson's used false claims to peddle prescription
drugs, as well as "male enhancement" and weight-loss pills, the court
heard.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority pursued
Atkinson under Australia's anti-spamming laws after tracing more than 100,000
spam email complaints from Australian residents back to him. Justice Andrew Greenwood could have fined Akinson more
than $2.5 million under the Spam Act but the government only wanted $210,000.
Apparently Atkinson got a discount for co-operating with
investigators.