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Re: [Asrg] The pay-per message myth again

2004-12-27 15:36:24

To some extent my bringing up pay-per-msg is meant to be cautionary.

If something isn't done I suspect either email will die as a medium or
it will mostly be driven into the hands of a few monopolists and
oligopolists (specifically, RBOCs/PTTs.) Probably throwing in the
so-called "Four Horsemen of the Netalypse" as they smell victory (what
were they, "child porn, drugs, terrorism and intellectual property
rights"?)

HOWEVER, that said, we need to recognize we are dealing with a bit of
a conundrum.

We are trying to figure out how to allocate and regulate a basically
free (from a volume point of view) resource which is not infinite, and
is in high demand (both spam and the disappointingly named "ham".)

The Soviets (et al) tried to do that kind of thing and mostly all
they could come up with was:

     a) Central planning
     b) A network of commissars

Ok, one can resist the example, whatever.

But the point is if you don't charge for something which is desireable
and finite (to some extent one limiting resource here is people's
ability to deal with the spam), then you're going to have to come up
with some sort of regulation and allocation regimen.

There is no third choice, other than ad libitum which is what we have
now.

Assuming we're not going to invent a new color or regulation regimen
then experience tells us our choices are:

a) Algorithmic - software which somehow chooses which mail shall live
and which shall die.

b) Legal fiat - Define certain behaviors as legal/illegal and begin
cracking heads with zeal.

c) Monopolistic throttling - Give email to the RBOCs/PTTs exclusively
(whatever that means) and let them make up some rules. The point being
that they'll be able to throttle it, assuming the monopoly works. For
those scoffing this is basically how phone service works, no?

d) Increase risk - Similar to (c), but let customers sue their ISPs
for spam they get, or analogous financial punihment (e.g., make them
liable for content such as children getting pornographic spam) and the
problem will fix pretty quickly tho I doubt anyone would like that
solution (e.g., your ISP will only speak to an approved list of other
sites and lots of draconian filtering etc.)

OR, maybe charge for what people use, which has some track record in
the world for creating reasonably sane resource allocation methods
particularly where competition and reasonable regulation exists.


-- 
        -Barry Shein

Software Tool & Die    | bzs(_at_)TheWorld(_dot_)com           | 
http://www.TheWorld.com
Purveyors to the Trade | Voice: 617-739-0202        | Login: 617-739-WRLD
The World              | Public Access Internet     | Since 1989     *oo*

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