Spamhaus
The Spamhaus Project
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Information for Spammers

ROKSO is a register of known hard-line professional spam operations (bulk emailers and "spam gangs") that have been thrown off Internet Service Providers 3 times or more for spamming or spam-related offenses. The ROKSO database collates information and evidence on each gang to assist ISP Abuse Desks and Law Enforcement Agencies.

How ROKSO Works

ROKSO records are not permanent. If no new information is added to a spammer's records after a period of 6 months the database automatically makes all of that spammer's ROKSO records "dormant", removing them from public view. This means that if you decide you want to stop spamming and build a legitimate career for yourself instead, before you ruin your name and business future permanently, all information about you in ROKSO will disappear from public view after 6 months.

If you resume spamming, any new information on you submitted to ROKSO (such as a spam sample, or anything even remotely connected to you) automatically makes all of your "dormant" records "live" again for another 6 months, and so on.

Legal information for Spammers

1. Data Sources

The ROKSO database contains only information that is freely available from public sources. The evidence recorded in ROKSO is collated from freely accessible public sites and archives throughout the Internet such as the Google Usenet Archives, Domain Registrars and IP databases (ARIN, RIPE, APNIC), publicly accessible corporation and legal records, and spam archives such as news.admin.net-abuse.sightings. Everything we reference is already in the Public Domain, we simply bring public domain information together in one place.

2. Errors in Data

ROKSO is maintained by an international group of volunteers. We do our best to ensure that data submitted to ROKSO is correct, comes from a public domain source, and that any errors are corrected as soon as we are made aware of them.

3. Defamation

By engaging in spamming to the extent of being thrown off Internet Service Providers for spam activities, all spammers defame themselves (try searching for your name on Google). Nevertheless, the aim of the ROKSO database is solely to record evidence and information, not to defame. If you find a defamatory statement in the ROKSO database that does not relate to your illegal spamming activities and is not public information please advise us and we will remove it.

3. Legal Threats & Jurisdiction

If you feel the urge to send Spamhaus a legal threat, please hire a proper lawyer (don't think up the threat yourself and don't invent ficticious laws). Ensure you understand which legal jurisdiction applies. Spamhaus is based in the United Kingdom therefore you need to refer to British Law. Note that as of December 11 2003 spamming is illegal in the United Kingdom.

The ROKSO database

ROKSO is a "3 strikes" register. We don't list inadvertent spammers or newbie marketing departments spamming 'by mistake'. To get to 3 strikes (i.e.: 3 terminations for serious spam offences) requires a very determined spam outfit. Being thrown off an ISP takes a lot of doing, nobody is thrown off an ISP without having been given ample warnings and chances to stop violating the ISPs Terms of Service. Being thrown off ISPs *twice* for the same offence means the spammer is determined, knows the consequences, and has actually signed up to a new ISP with the specific intention of breaking the ISPs Terms of Service. Being thrown off *three* ISPs for the same offence means the spammer is a committed hard-line spam operation which regards ISPs as simply throwaway resources.

UK Data Protection Act 1998 Compliancy

ROKSO is a free-access public register maintained by a non-profit organization and as such is exempt from notification under the UK Data Protection Act 1998. Data held is automatically removed from the ROKSO database after a period of 6 months if there have been no new additions or modifications to a spammer's record.