Comments on: Taxing Email http://enfranchisedmind.com/blog/2006/02/09/taxing-email/ Robert Fischer and Brian Hurt on Punditry, Programming Languages, and Other Religious Issues Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:02:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Candide http://enfranchisedmind.com/blog/2006/02/09/taxing-email/comment-page-1/#comment-146 Candide Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:57:26 +0000 http://enfranchisedmind.com/blog/archive/2006/02/09/81#comment-146 I just thought of something. From a business standpoint, AOL's target platform is bug-ridden, highly insecure Windows boxes. Given that, how long is it going to be before one of them gets some kind of virus which proceeds to bombard the entire internet with spam? And seeing as how computers can easilly generate thousands of emails a second, how big is that bill going to be? Hell, from a purely cold profit-monger standpoint, it's actually <em>in AOL's best interest</em> for those kinds of viruses to spread if this plan were to be implemented. I just thought of something. From a business standpoint, AOL’s target platform is bug-ridden, highly insecure Windows boxes. Given that, how long is it going to be before one of them gets some kind of virus which proceeds to bombard the entire internet with spam? And seeing as how computers can easilly generate thousands of emails a second, how big is that bill going to be?

Hell, from a purely cold profit-monger standpoint, it’s actually in AOL’s best interest for those kinds of viruses to spread if this plan were to be implemented.

]]> By: Candide http://enfranchisedmind.com/blog/2006/02/09/taxing-email/comment-page-1/#comment-145 Candide Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:51:49 +0000 http://enfranchisedmind.com/blog/archive/2006/02/09/81#comment-145 Keep in mind, though, that open source has already generated that kind of whitelisting: the <a href="http://www.openspf.org/" rel="nofollow">"Sender Permitted From" framework/"Sender Policy Framework"</a>. Keep in mind, though, that open source has already generated that kind of whitelisting: the “Sender Permitted From” framework/”Sender Policy Framework”.

]]> By: TheHawk http://enfranchisedmind.com/blog/2006/02/09/taxing-email/comment-page-1/#comment-143 TheHawk Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:27:01 +0000 http://enfranchisedmind.com/blog/archive/2006/02/09/81#comment-143 I just figured out how something like it could be implemented. When an email hits their servers, it checks to see if the From address header is on the "whitelist". If so, it marks them as having sent an email and they get charged a tax. Otherwise, it sends it through the normal filters, probably catches it as spam. It probably also generates an automatic reply to the sender informing them of the "opportunity" if they would only be willing to spend the fee. And of course there will be a link on their sites providing people the chance to sign up for this service. Don't think it'll necessarily reduce spam, although at least with the ones on the "whitelist" we'll know who they are. I just figured out how something like it could be implemented. When an email hits their servers, it checks to see if the From address header is on the “whitelist”. If so, it marks them as having sent an email and they get charged a tax. Otherwise, it sends it through the normal filters, probably catches it as spam. It probably also generates an automatic reply to the sender informing them of the “opportunity” if they would only be willing to spend the fee. And of course there will be a link on their sites providing people the chance to sign up for this service. Don’t think it’ll necessarily reduce spam, although at least with the ones on the “whitelist” we’ll know who they are.

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