Re: Spam: process the web archives?

[Santiago Vila <sanvila@unex.es>]

A.J. Rossini wrote:
> AJ is right.
>
> Santiago, all the spammers need to do is to subscribe to all mailing
> lists.  Nice passive collection, data comes right to the door, just
> need to parse out a few potential addresses from every mailer, add
> them to the list.  Why should the spammers care if they only get 15%
> valid addresses?  I don't see any way to prevent them from signing up
> for mailing lists.

Yes, they could do that, but do they actually do that? The web is
already full of email addresses, why bothering subscribing to mailing lists?

> Secondly, they can always post-filter later with obvious
> de-obfustication algorithms, or leave them in so as to be able to
> claim:
>
>         "Billions of email addresses sold here"

I have never proposed obfusticating mailing lists posts in the mailing
lists themselves. I propose protecting (by just removing) all email
addresses in the web list archives only.