Re: random thoughts on how I can prevent spammers from using my net

[Hank Nussbacher <hank () ibm net il>]

On Mon, 20 Jan 1997, ALAN DORN HETZEL JR wrote:

> I have been trying to figure out ways to prevent spammers from using my
> net as a sending location (even once).  If most spam is sent from
> throwaway dialup accounts, how would a daily limit of #arbitrary-number
> of emails sent, with a charge of $0.05 (or other number) per excess
> e-mail...?   The arbitrary-number might be 1000 or so, plenty for most
> legitimate uses.  Since we get credit card numbers from our dialuo
> customers, if we do get a spammer, and they send, say 100,000 emails
> in a month, we subtract their allowance of 30K or so and bill them 
> $3,500  (70K * $0.05) for excess....  
>
> If we make the terms and conditions obvious, and get a signature before
> activating the account, it won't take very many occurrences before word
> would get around that SPAM can ocst as much as paper junk mail to send
>
> Thoughts?
>
> -Dorn
Sounds like Bob Metcalfe's recent column in Infoworld on E-postage.

Hank Nussbacher

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