> Pardon my ignorance, but what is the difference between "spam" and
> advertisement? Does all the crap I receive from stock brokers, penis
> enlargement deals, credit card companies, smut distributors, wireless
> service providers, weight loss programs, computer hardware pushers, and
> sundry get rich quick schemes qualifies as "spam" or "commercial speech"
> similar to that already drowns airwaves?
Spam is so hated because it is a "theft of service" incident. Yes, all that junk email you get is spam. It differs from the junk advertising on the radio and tv and junk mail in that there is no theft of service. When you receive spam you are being forced to subsidize someone else's advertising. While most individuals do not pay for internet access based on the amount of data they receive, ISPs do get billed this way by other carriers and peering partners and those costs factor in how much individuals pay for Internet access. It would be as if the postal service or FedEx charged you to receive a package even if you didn't ask for it or want it.
Spam is usually specifically defined as being *unsolicited* and *bulk*. This definition is content blind.
Matt
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