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Receipts, Privacy and UCE

To: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Receipts, Privacy and UCE
From: John Underwood <john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 4 Dec 1998 18:39:44 -0000
Priority: normal
Priority: low
Reply-to: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dear List,

I have been corresponding with Nigel in private about e-mail receipts 
for a few weeks now. I wasn't going to bring it up in public on the 
list to avoid giving anyone the information they need to steal all 
our e-mail addresses.

However, since the topic has been discussed in the open I might as 
well put in my two pence worth:

1. It has been pointed out that it is very easy for anyone posting 
messages to the list to "harvest" the e-mail addresses of everyone on 
the list. All you need to do is set your mail client to ask for a 
delivery receipt or notification of the message being read. You can 
then sit back and wait for the addresses to come flooding in.

2. I know several people have sent messages to the list asking for 
receipts. Personally I think that at least 99% of the time they have 
done it by accident.

3. I can't think of any legitimate reason for anyone posting to the 
list to ask for a receipt. Who in their right mind wants thousands of 
mail receipts flooding their mailbox?

4. It is actually rather easy to get Nigel's list server software to 
block receipt requests.

5. It has been argued that because no-one has yet harvested the e-
mail addresses of the list there is not a problem. Conventional 
wisdom is that you should lock the stable door BEFORE the horse has 
escaped.


So, why not block the receipt requests at the list server? It stops 
people accidentally getting 1000's of recipts and it stops any 
potential miscreants from obtaining our e-mail addresses.

--
John Underwood
Home: John@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Work: John.Underwood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.underwd.demon.co.uk


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