Interesting People mailing list archives

The only solution to spam


From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 19:17:17 -0400


X-Sender: dan () lynch com@mail.lynch.com
Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 14:40:15 -0700
To: farber () central cis upenn edu
From: Dan Lynch <dan () lynch com>
Subject: The only solution to spam
Cc: Zack Lynch <z.lynch () attbi com>


Dave, Spam exists because it is profitable for the spammers to do it. How about making it unprofitable instead? My son Zack has suggested a solution that simply makes it so all (yes ALL) email must carry with it (probably as an attachment) a cybercoin style token for (say) a dime that the sender must present to the receiving mail system (most likely at your ISP) or the ISP will drop the mail on the floor. That is the end state of the system. There are some obvious hurdles to getting there, but if it were installed on the major sites (MSN, AOL, Earthlink, etc.) the spammers would be stopped cold with this barrier. Oh, you also need to (eventually) change the client software so that the dime gets sent back to the sender if they are on your white list or somesuch list. Use whatever existing cybertoken system you wish, or invent a new one. This is the basic idea and I am sure a much better design is out there in the minds of others to come up with a viable system.

All the legal stuff in the world won't stop a profitable business. Look at the various "vices" in the world for proof. Let's just make it unprofitable for spammers.

Dan



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