How to Make a Fortune on the Information Superhighway: Everyone’s Guerrilla Guide to Marketing on the Internet and Other On-Line Services by Laurence A. Canter and Martha S. Siegel, published in 1994 by HarperCollins, is a pivotal yet polarizing book from the dawn of the Internet era. Authored by two Phoenix-based immigration attorneys, it was inspired by their infamous 1994 Usenet campaign advertising their legal services for the U.S. Green Card Lottery, widely recognized as the first commercial spam. This article explores the book’s content, its historical context with an emphasis on Usenet and immigration law, its controversial impact, the authors’ current status as of 2025, and its enduring relevance.
Historical Context: Usenet And Immigration Law
In the early 1990s, the Internet, dubbed the “Information Superhighway,” was primarily a non-commercial network for academics, researchers, and enthusiasts. Commercial activity was restricted, notably on the NSFNET, until 1994. A key platform was Usenet, a decentralized discussion system launched in 1979 by Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis. Usenet hosted thousands of “newsgroups”—topic-specific forums (e.g., comp.lang.c for programming, rec.arts.books for literature, or arizona.forsale for local sales)—accessible via newsreader software. By 1994, Usenet had around 9,000 newsgroups and 30 million users globally, making it a vibrant hub for text-based discussions. Its open, minimally moderated structure fostered a collaborative culture governed by “Netiquette,” which discouraged commercial postings, but also left it vulnerable to abuse.
On April 12, 1994, Laurence A. Canter and Martha S. Siegel, leveraging their expertise in immigration law, posted an advertisement for their legal services across approximately 6,000 Usenet newsgroups. Their ad targeted the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery, established under the Immigration Act of 1990 to grant 55,000 permanent resident visas annually to applicants from countries with low U.S. immigration rates. The program, administered by the U.S. Department of State, required applicants to submit entries during a specific period, with winners selected randomly. Canter and Siegel offered to handle applications for a fee, capitalizing on the program’s complexity and global interest. Their campaign, costing $20, reached millions and reportedly generated $100,000 to $200,000 in business, but it violated Netiquette, crashed servers (e.g., at Internet Direct), and drew over 30,000 angry emails. The backlash spurred technical countermeasures, like Arnt Gulbrandsen’s “cancelbot” to delete their posts, and highlighted Usenet’s governance challenges.
Immigration law in 1994 was shaped by the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952, amended significantly over the years, including the 1990 Act that created the Green Card Lottery. The INA governed visa categories, naturalization, and deportation, but the lottery was unique for its random selection process, requiring minimal qualifications (e.g., a high school education or equivalent). Canter and Siegel’s practice focused on navigating such programs, and their book reflects their entrepreneurial approach to marketing legal services online. Their Usenet campaign coincided with a broader shift: the NSFNET’s commercial ban was lifted in 1994, enabling the Internet’s transformation into a marketplace.
Content Overview
The book, written in a conversational, non-technical style, targets readers new to the Internet, offering a guide to its commercial potential. Published in hardcover (ISBN: 0062701312) and paperback (ISBN: 0006386784), it covers:
- Internet and Usenet Primer: The authors demystify the Internet, emphasizing Usenet’s newsgroups (e.g., alt., sci., rec.*) as a marketing channel alongside email, bulletin boards, and services like CompuServe. They explain accessing Usenet via dial-up and terms like Gopher and SLIP/PPP, making the technology approachable.
- Cyberselling Tactics: The book introduces “cyberselling,” advocating low-cost, high-reach marketing. It advises on crafting Usenet ads, building mailing lists, conducting surveys, and creating digital “stores.” The authors highlight Usenet’s global reach for targeting niche audiences, using their Green Card Lottery campaign as a model. Early search engine optimization (SEO) and online ad strategies are also discussed, though simplistic by modern standards.
- Philosophical Stance: Canter and Siegel view Usenet as a commercial frontier, likening themselves to pioneers and dismissing Netiquette as outdated. They argue that Usenet’s open structure enables anyone to reach millions, a stance that provoked outrage among users valuing its non-commercial ethos.
A 1995 New Scientist review criticized the book’s focus on the authors’ Usenet campaign and untested ideas (e.g., marketing adult content), noting its lack of an index and U.S.-centric perspective. Despite this, it captured the era’s entrepreneurial zeal.
Impact And Controversy
The book and the Usenet campaign were catalysts for the Internet’s commercialization. The “Green Card Spam” is recognized as the first commercial spam, inspiring imitators and fueling the spam epidemic, as detailed in Finn Brunton’s Spam: A Shadow History of the Internet. Usenet’s open design, while enabling free expression, proved susceptible to abuse, unlike modern platforms with stricter moderation. The campaign’s timing, just before the NSFNET’s commercial ban ended, helped normalize online commerce, paving the way for e-commerce giants.
However, the backlash was severe. Usenet users, cherishing the platform’s collaborative spirit, saw the campaign as a betrayal, leading to server disruptions and threats against the authors. Their firm, Cybersell, launched in May 1994, became the first to offer “spam for hire” by 1995, intensifying controversy. The incident sparked debates about free speech versus responsible use, influencing early Internet governance. In immigration law, their campaign highlighted the Green Card Lottery’s global appeal but also raised ethical questions about advertising legal services, contributing to Canter’s 1997 disbarment in Tennessee for illegal advertising practices.
Authors’ Current Status (2025)
- Martha S. Siegel: Siegel passed away on September 24, 2000, at age 52. After divorcing Canter in 1996, she published a revised How to Make a Fortune on the Internet (ISBN: 0062734660) in 1997. Her work on U.S. Immigration Made Easy, a popular guide, continued to influence immigration law resources, with later editions updated by others.
- Laurence A. Canter: Disbarred by Tennessee in 1997 for spamming and unethical advertising, Canter had earlier resigned from the Florida Bar in 1988 after ethical violations, including a 1987 suspension for misrepresentation in a property deal. He abandoned law in 1995, moving to the San Francisco Bay Area by 1999 to develop software for stock options trading. As of 2017, he was active in this field, expressing no regret for his spam legacy in a 2002 CNET interview, arguing it was less intrusive than modern spam. No updates confirm his status in 2025.
Recent Immigration Law Developments (2025)
Immigration law remains dynamic, with recent updates reflecting tightened policies under the Trump administration. Key developments include:
- Alien Registration System: In 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented a registration system for certain noncitizens, as noted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), aligning with executive actions to enhance enforcement.
- Termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS): DHS announced the termination of Haiti’s TPS, effective September 2, 2025, encouraging Haitians to seek lawful status. A federal judge blocked an early termination attempt, citing procedural violations, preserving protections until February 2026.
- Naturalization Fraud Cases: USCIS supported investigations leading to indictments for naturalization fraud, such as those of Anibal Rios Lavias and Omoyoma Christopher Okoro, highlighting efforts to protect immigration process integrity.
- Policy Updates: USCIS updated guidance in the Policy Manual on valid marriages for asylees/refugees and clarified naturalization applicants’ burden to prove lawful admission, reflecting ongoing refinements.
These changes underscore stricter enforcement, contrasting with Canter and Siegel’s era, when immigration services like the Green Card Lottery were marketed with fewer digital regulations.
Relevance Today
In 2025, the book is a historical artifact, with Usenet largely obsolete, replaced by platforms like X and Reddit. Usenet persists in niche communities for file-sharing, but its influence has waned. The book’s Usenet-focused strategies are outdated, but its vision of the Internet’s marketing potential was prescient. Concepts like SEO and targeted ads, embryonic in the book, are now digital marketing pillars. The authors’ unethical Usenet tactics remain a cautionary tale, relevant to debates over spam, privacy, and platform governance. In immigration law, the Green Card Lottery continues, but marketing such services is now tightly regulated, reflecting lessons from their campaign.
Conclusion
How to Make a Fortune on the Information Superhighway captures a transformative moment when Usenet and immigration law intersected to reshape the Internet. Canter and Siegel’s Green Card Lottery campaign, exploiting Usenet’s reach, accelerated the Internet’s commercialization while igniting ethical controversies. Siegel’s legacy endures in print, while Canter transitioned to software development after legal repercussions. Recent immigration law developments highlight ongoing enforcement trends, contrasting with the lax digital marketing landscape of 1994. The book remains a compelling, contentious lens on the Internet’s evolution, Usenet’s vulnerabilities, and the enduring allure of immigration opportunities.
