Congestion charge for spam?

Daily Newsletters

Sign up to ZDNet UK's daily newsletter.

NEWS
Two IBM researchers are proposing a new method of fighting spam that would force unfamiliar senders to donate to charity if they want to reach you. Under the proposal, concocted by IBM researchers Scott Fahlman and Mark Wegman, email senders who haven't been cleared by a recipient would receive a message that their mail did not go through. They would then be instructed that they could reach the intended recipient if they were to pay a third-party site a few cents for a "charity stamp." The money paid to the third-party site, which could range from a penny to a quarter, would be donated to a charity of the sender's choice. Email bearing the charity stamp could then reach the recipient. "What we're proposing is to change the rules of email just a little bit to make spam go away," Fahlman said. "The day you install this is the day you get your last piece of free spam." Fahlman said the software to channel unfamiliar senders to charity sites, which is only theoretical right now, would probably be under the control of the sender and would sit between a person's mail server and mail client. He also said Internet service providers could use the program as a marketing tool to convince consumers they're serious about controlling spam. The plan combines the popular concept of a so-called white list -- which only allows emails through from senders on a predetermined list -- and the emerging paid-to-send model, which is currently resurfacing in some anti-spam crowds. AT&T researchers recently proposed another pay-per-message model, and an Australian entrepreneur announced a service last month called CashRamSpam.com that lets people set a contact fee to reach them via email. Technologists have long toyed with the idea of pay-per-message plans as a way to control spam, but most say the idea is too unwieldy to implement. Privacy expert Ray Everett-Church, chief privacy officer for Philadelphia-based consultancy the EPrivacy Group, said the new rash of pay-per-message proposals shows how desperate people really are to control spam. He said such plans in general would be difficult to engineer and confusing because not everyone using the Internet pays in dollars, and are potential magnets for fraud. "I have yet to see one that is either workable or would solve more problems than it creates," he said. What's more, he worries that charging to send messages would ruin the email system's status as a forum for freewheeling ideas. "It certainly would destroy the Internet's ability to let communities grow and to let people build relationships and interact with one another," he said. But Fahlman, the IBM researcher, said email recipients are entitled to take control of their in-box. "I believe we all have an absolute right to read whatever we want," he said. "I don't care if it's some politicians looking for votes or some Nigerian looking for bank transfers. If I want to see it, I'll go find it."
For everything Internet-related, from the latest legal and policy-related news, to domain name updates, see ZDNet UK's Internet News Section. Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.

Talkback

I just heard on the news that now there is a proposal to start charging one cent per email a person sends. I think that is a very bad idea. Most people that send email are just keeping in touch with family and friends. I don't think that punishing everyone because of spammers is the way to go.

I do think that the Charity Stamp is an excellent idea. I don't send spam to anyone and I don'tlenjoy getting it. Especially the porn that comes into my mail box. I think that the spammers should be the ones that need to pay. I recieve between 50 to 100 spam emails in my account each day. I don't like it but when you go to unsubscribe, it seems that you keep getting more and more.

via Facebook 5 March, 2004 22:54
Reply

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.

You can also log in with Facebook. Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

  • Login

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Community FAQ

Get ZDNet UK's daily newsletter

Enter your email address to sign up

ZDNet UK Live

TerryRK

Isn't the provision of a text based search an admission by the developers that the mass of icons approach does not work? I don't need to use a...

1 hour ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
kevinmchapman

"Unity and GNOME 3 both abandon the old text-based cascading menus in favour of a graphical icon-driven system." Point truly missed. Both use a...

2 hours ago by kevinmchapman on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
TerryRK

whs001 - Thank you, I'm glad you liked the article. I absolutely agree with you on your first point. I should perhaps have made it clearer that...

2 hours ago by TerryRK on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Dennis Nilsson

If we allow corporate interest to dictate the way our government circumvents due process against foreign entities then we should accept the same...

3 hours ago by Dennis Nilsson via Facebook on ACTA stumbles in Germany
GHar123

I totally dislike pirating of works, I fear that artists will be deterred from creating works if they think that they are going to get ripped off....

4 hours ago by GHar123 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
JCB33

How dare film makers, artists or anybody that invests in creativity stop us pirating their works for free. I want to be able to walk into my local...

10 hours ago by JCB33 on ACTA stumbles in Germany
Moley

@GrueMaster. I prefer horses for courses rather than one size fits all. I, and I suspect most other computer users, do not really wish to have...

12 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
greycynic

The product that scares me every time I have to use it is the Office 2007 version of Excel. The first bug that I found was applying the median...

12 hours ago by greycynic on Ten flawed products that derail productivity
GrueMaster

Nice review and very informative. One thing I'd like to add (in reply to whs001's 1st question), the main reason to have the same interface from...

14 hours ago by GrueMaster on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Frederick Wrigley

I'be been using Mint 12 since the RC came out, and I am far more happy with the Cinnamon, the Mate, and, yes (with extensions), theGnome 3...

15 hours ago by Frederick Wrigley via Facebook on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
bdantas

Excellent article. One small correction, though--although a fresh installation of Linux Mint 12 will, indeed, provide the user with a version of...

15 hours ago by bdantas on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

16 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Alan Ralph

In related news, the ISPs club together to get the members of the Home Affairs Select Committee (ya goofed on that part, ZDNet UK) copies of "The...

16 hours ago by Alan Ralph via Facebook on MPs urge ISPs to take down terrorist material
Moley

For Gnome 2 die-hards, it is possible to add icons to the bottom panel (or top top panel, if you prefer) which provide the exact Gnome 2...

17 hours ago by Moley on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
ramwellian

Your comments would seem pretty naive and immature. Your 'solution' appears to be, "gee, let's all just give in to the hackers and give them...

17 hours ago by ramwellian on Cloud computing security: no more oxymoron?
BugStalker

"Interesting thought ... If you installed Win7 as a dual boot on a machine that previously only had Linux, and it wrecked your Linux installation,...

17 hours ago by BugStalker on Windows 7 Declares War on GRUB
whs001

This is an excellent summary of Ubuntu and Mint and the interface differences between them. Most such articles take a very partisan position for...

17 hours ago by whs001 on A tale of two distros: Ubuntu and Linux Mint
Moley

@ewallace. Not so clear. Anyone can obtain the text, for example from here http://www.ustr.gov/webfm_send/2379. I support ACTA so long as it and...

17 hours ago by Moley on ACTA: Facts, misconceptions and questions
45283

I think WinRT is fantastic. I just wish it was an option for people that didn't want to go through Microsoft's App Store with its attendant...

21 hours ago by 45283 on Why Windows 8 needs architectural hygiene for WOA
Burn-IT

Nine people? £30m? Who's back pocket is that lot going in? And IF they say it is for new buildings, what about all the ones the government has...

22 hours ago by Burn-IT on Police set to launch three £30m e-crime hubs