Hindering internet spammers.

Oerdin · January 5, 2003, 04:12

Here's a quote from http://members.hostedscripts.com/antispam.html

Anti-Spam!

What's This Page For?

The purpose of this page is to make it so that spammers who attempt to collect email addresses off the web through programs will not have real email addresses in their database, causing them trouble because they will have to clean out their list. This page has one hundred randomly generated email addresses (reload and new ones will appear). At the bottom of the page is a link to this page again, essentially reloading it for programs to collect more fake email addresses. Email collecting programs will be sent in an infinite loop by following the link at the bottom of the page and will get more and more fake email addresses stuck in their databases. This helps to place many invalid email addresses that won't help spammers (they will get more returned email and is our effort to FIGHT SPAM.

Do you folks think this will actually hinder the spammers?
By listing this link will we be helping in the anti spammer effort? How do each of you fight spam in your e-mail boxes?

Dis · January 5, 2003, 04:14

I thought this thread was about me. I'd hate to be banned from the internet.

Oerdin · January 5, 2003, 04:18

So how long will it be before someone says this thread is spam? I wonder...

Skanky Burns · January 5, 2003, 04:25

Skanky Burns · January 5, 2003, 04:28

It will probably work... until the person running the script notices that the same web address keeps getting loaded. Then they will just add the address to an ignore list, start the script again and go back to getting email addresses from the web.

Amusing, but about as effective at stopping spam as jamming coins in a payphone would be at stopping worldwide telecommunications.

Dis · January 5, 2003, 04:29

not if we put this on every web address in the world

Skanky Burns · January 5, 2003, 04:30

An easier solution would be to not put your email address on the web.

Oerdin · January 5, 2003, 04:35

I've been using hotmail so Microsoft has been whoring my e-mail to the highest bidder for years. That kind of irks me but it's free so I can't complain.

alva · January 5, 2003, 04:36

So spammers are now going to need a spamfilter to able to continiue sending spam mail for us to delete????

Shi Huangdi · January 5, 2003, 04:38

Brilliant. I hope more people put this on their website.

Oerdin · January 5, 2003, 04:45

Quote:

Originally posted by Skanky Burns It will probably work... until the person running the script notices that the same web address keeps getting loaded. Then they will just add the address to an ignore list, start the script again and go back to getting email addresses from the web.

Getting put on their ignore list is still a victory of sorts isn't it? I wish someone would just pass a law banning unsolicited mass e-mails and be done with it.

Skanky Burns · January 5, 2003, 04:48

It makes their lives harder (not to mention putting dozens/hundreds of false email addresses in their lists), so that is worth some effort. Not my effort thought.

alva · January 5, 2003, 05:01

Quote:

Getting put on their ignore list is still a victory of sorts isn't it? I wish someone would just pass a law banning unsolicited mass e-mails and be done with it.

I could be wrong, but I think it allready is in some countries.

Skanky Burns · January 5, 2003, 05:06

The thing is, it only takes one country to not have that law and then anyone can operate from that country legally despite it being illegal in every other country.

Clear Skies · January 5, 2003, 09:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Oerdin
Getting put on their ignore list is still a victory of sorts isn't it? I wish someone would just pass a law banning unsolicited mass e-mails and be done with it.

Ah, another thing to put on my list of Things To Do Once I Am Prime Minister...

Oerdin · January 5, 2003, 17:20

What are other ways to hinder internet spammers or fight junk e-mail?

Mercator · January 5, 2003, 17:41

Use client-side scripts to generate the e-mail addresses in not too straight-forward ways.
Spambots usually spider the web, download the files and extract any something@something sequence or perhaps mailto: references or so.
If you roll your addresses in javascript the e-mail won't show up plainly in the file so they'd need a script interpreter to get to the address.

Odin · January 5, 2003, 17:55

Problem is that the spammers will complain that regulations are a violation of the 1st amendment.

We kno who Bushy will side with

Thrawn05 · January 5, 2003, 18:12

Quote:

Originally posted by Odin
Problem is that the spammers will complain that regulations are a violation of the 1st amendment.

We kno who Bushy will side with

The problem isn't if it's a 1st amendment right, the problem is the overwelming number of spam you get in your e-mail box(es) every day. You don't get that much in your snailmail box do you? About once or twice a week you get a telemarketer as well.

I don't mind advertisments in my e-mail, it's just that there are so many that I don't bother. In fact, I gave up on my ISP's e-mail adress, and to avoid getting charged extra for that spam in my mail box, I call them up and ask them to delete them all.

I use hotmail, set it high level spam filther and have it automaticly delete them. I got a handle on it now, but I still don't like it.

Kropotkin · January 5, 2003, 18:14

I've long suspected, for reasons that should be clear for all, that apolyton OT really is the Theresienstadt of the internet. This as we all are notorious spammers. One day our false sence of security will end in horror.

Oerdin · January 5, 2003, 18:20

Did you know that even with your Hotmail spam filter on high you will still get spam? That's because MS raises money by selling privilaged accress to all of it's MSN & hotmail users. In other words if a spammer pays MS then MS will make sure the spam ends up in their users mailboxes. It let's them through the filter if they pay MS.

Provost Harrison · January 5, 2003, 19:07

I have received no spam in my hotmail account unlike other people. I do not understand why, perhaps because I didn't click on any of the 'interests' things when starting the accounts.

Anyway, yeah, this should be duplicated as often as possible, just to give the spammers absolute headaches and hopefully make their task too difficult to bother with.

Edan · January 5, 2003, 19:14

I don't think it will work. How much more work/cost is it for spammers to spam another 50/100 non-working email addresses, anyway? probably not much, by my estimation.

As for having a "please-take-me-off-this-spam-list type of thing, it's a *bad* idea to email a response saying you don't want to be getting the spam, as it will only verify for the spammer that your email address works. A better solution is using filtering software of some sort and avoiding displaying your email address in public online locations.

Provost Harrison · January 5, 2003, 19:31

Well what is needed is for people to copy that script and post it all over the internet to trip the things up...

Kropotkin · January 5, 2003, 19:36

HAHA!!!

Provost Harrison · January 5, 2003, 19:39

Kropotkin · January 5, 2003, 19:40

Well, you know that would be ... spam...

Provost Harrison · January 5, 2003, 19:48

Well people wouldn't have to click on the link you know

Skanky Burns · January 5, 2003, 21:08

An even better idea would be to get a free email account with someone other than hotmail!

www.fastmail.fm is a good one that I use, there are others equally as good too. Try one.

Dr Strangelove · January 6, 2003, 00:53

Quote:

Originally posted by Clear Skies

Ah, another thing to put on my list of Things To Do Once I Am Prime Minister...

No, you should solve the problem permanently by commissioning your double-0 agents to eliminate them with extreme prejudice. Say, that could be the basis of the next James Bond flick!