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Martin's Apology
I apologize to friends who I've unwittingly ensnared in what is feeling like a SPAM RING.

I joined Rippln thinking it would be a cool, fun site. As this article outlines it is impossible to find out much about the site other than it is run by Multi-Level Marketers who make it almost impossible to get off their relentless spam train.

Hard to believe this kind of brute force SPAM Marketing where they send wave after wave of spam at you until you comply is still contemplated much less actually working in 2013.

I've worked very hard to remove my account and am not sure, even after 3 emails, if I will continue to receive SPAM on my phone and in my inbox.

CAN-SPAM states that an email marketer has 10 days to comply with a request to be removed. At the rate I'm being spammed that will mean many more messages.

CAN-SPAM also states that a marketer may include a menu to allow opting out of specific types of communication, but they must respect a request to STOP ALL COMMERCIAL COMMUNICATION.

I made such a request on the 19th and was told I needed to do another email. I sent that email and was told I needed to use the unsubscribe feature at the bottom of the email. You get the idea, delay, obfuscate and confuse.

According to the last spam to hit my phone there are now 600,000 caught in Rippln.com's spam net. I hope you are not one of them and I apologize to my friends who I hooked right along with me. I had no idea.

I naively assumed such a brute force attack couldn't win in a connected social time. I was wrong and will be more careful about where and who I sign up with going forward. The social safeguards I counted on don't seem robust enough to dissuade those determined to STEAL our time and souls with an attack of self congratulatory relentless spam.

Owners of Rippln.com if you are reading this SHAME ON YOU.

Martin