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RE: [Asrg] Please critique my anti-spam system

2005-01-07 17:50:56
(oops...here's the content)

        I'm reminded of a time I was using a computer belonging to a not so
tech savvy friend of mine to surf the web. As I'm browsing, I get to to a
site I frequent, where much to my chagrin a POPUP appears telling me that a
popup was blocked. I start thinking about it, and while I used to think that
popup ads advertising popup blockers were the most rediculous thing in the
world, and I'm dumbfounded by the fact that someone installed such a
program. 
        Now clearly you've noticed quite a few people hammering on the flaws
of your proposal, but really it's no less than the brutal interchange that
has become the norm in this space. I will say that one of the common themes
across many of the proposals is forcing a lot of people(users, and
user/transfer/submission agents) to change, which your system does heavily.
Everytime a proposal comes up one of the key weaknesses in all of them
becomes getting EVERYONE to use the system for it to work. But more
importantly I think a LOT of people are resisting, because your "solution"
isn't really a solution at all, it's a "system" for dealing with spam not
solving it. And more than anything it's not a solution, because it requires
human interaction to work. People want to save time, and not get bombarded
by emails that don't server a purpose ( a direct transactional purpose as
opposed to a self serving one). People who deal with this stuff all the time
CRINGE at the thought of anything that sends more contentless emails.
        So the really big difference ends up being, that you're trying to
find a way to get rid of spam, when the more valid question is "how do I
make sure that my mail can legitamately be identified as having come from
me, and get's through to my intended recipient in a timely and efficient
manner which no longer requires my interaction, and can be differentiated
from illegitamate mail so as to not harm my reputation."

-Tom

thomasgal(_at_)lumenvox(_dot_)com  



Eliminating spam for someone else at the cost of increasing 
it for me 
is not an acceptable tradeoff, and I will take action to 
ensure that 
the costs of implementing such a system rebound to the 
dis-benefit of 
the implementer.

Seth

<snip>

Well, things have gotten to the point where I'm not saying anything 
new, and neither is anyone else.
Some have suggested that I am blowing off valid criticisms.  
If anything I am merely suffering from a severe lack of 
insight as I 
am still unable to appreciate why the residual flaws are 
severe enough 
to disregard a proposed system that could theoretically 
conveniently 
eliminate spam for so many consumer level email users.  Well, I do 
plan on voicing my proposal to a larger venue.  If I then 
receive the 
same level of doubt then I'll just crawl into a corner and start 
taking crazy pills.



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