We are seeing a lot of hype over the issue of instant messaging spam nowadays. Part of this hype could be an actual problem, and part of it could be guilt by association. With all the talk about the Secret Service and Paris Hilton getting hacked via T-Mobile, I wonder if this isn’t already a little overdone - people seem to associate the instant message with mobility, and more and more phones are coming to market with chatting features. Don’t shoot me for reaching.

BetaNews thinks it is less of an issue than is being described, and points out a lot of the security features that service providers have to put a clamp on the “problem” (see BetaNews | The Hype Over Spim).

What’s worse is the potential for association with politics and laws such as CAN-SPAM.

The Register put together a good piece on the notion in Can CAN-SPAM can spim? | The Register. They point out the deficiencies in CAN-SPAM for dealing with the SPIM issue, but hold true to the notion that prosecutors will reach until someone bursts their ego-driven bubbles. The Register also notes that the best course of action would be to draft a new law sculptured around IM.

I agree, and that may happen, someday. Lets just hope and pray the politicos take their heads out of their butts long enough to ask someone with the slightest technical expertise for a little advice, before they enable SPIMing too.