[mythtv-users] in-the-clear email addresses on web archives?

[Jarod C. Wilson]

On Thursday, Oct 9, 2003, at 23:19 US/Pacific, Chris Petersen wrote:

> Like most people (especially those who own a domain name or 6), I get a
> lot of spam every day.

No SpamAssassin?!? I don't even worry about my address(es) getting out 
anymore. A well-configured SpamAssassin (coupled with some other MTA 
protections, like sender verification, call-outs, blacklists, etc) 
nukes 99.999% of all spam. I don't recall the last time any spam 
actually made it to my inbox, but its been a LONG time now. I suppose 
that would mean I'm the other side of that "most people". :)

But then I have full control over my mail server and relays (and I'm a 
sysadmin by trade).

> Anyway, since I use a specific address for
> lists, I can tell that the spammer got my address from some web
> archive.  And since the address was addressed as from:
>
> Geoffrey Hausheer <ou401cru02 at sneakemail.com>
>
> I can be pretty sure that the spammer spidered one of the myth lists.
> Although I like getting email from Geoff (since he's been great about
> making mythtranscode friendly to svcd exports and commercial cutting),
> something tells me that he wasn't really trying to sell me some good
> mortgage rates.

Geoff didn't tell you that he's a mortgage broker on the side? ;p

> Anyway, I know that the damage has been done, but is there *any* way to
> set up those archives so they obscure email addresses?

I agree, that would still be a good idea. I believe it is usually a 
function of the list software to export archives sans addresses, but 
I'm not certain. In any case, I'm certainly in favor of either complete 
address blocking, or at least some obfuscation (user_at_domain_dot_com, 
or similar scheme).

It really sucks that the world has come to this. I believe I read 
somewhere that the volume of spam is expected to eclipse that of 
legitimate email by mid-2004, and keep on rising... Spammers should all 
be shot on sight.

--Jarod

-- 
Jarod C. Wilson, RHCE

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