Charging to send e-mails?

**Frank** · 15-12-2003, 02:22

Okay check this out. Before you dismiss this out of hand (like I did), read the pricing information. ($2.50 per thousand messages)

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/?http://www.p...y.php?id=51289

Xaccers · 15-12-2003, 03:34

As it says, this would be un-enforceable as people would just use servers in countries that don't have this law.

**Paul M** · 15-12-2003, 08:52

Quite simply - it will never happen while SMTP is the e-mail sending protocol - and I expect that to last another decade or more.

MadGamer · 15-12-2003, 20:21

Why is all i ask. The first thing is i don't think that it will work and second why do they want to charge for sending emails in the fist place? It is a rediculas idea.

Nor · 15-12-2003, 20:26

I imagine cos the whole internet will grind to a halt within a few years should the email quantity continue to rise.

The costs will not impact any of us, would be a couple of pounds a year probably for us but would really put a spanner in the works of the spammers who send out millions a day.

If it worked it'd be a brilliant idea, but as folk have said there are probably ways round it. Something like 99% of the spam comes from like 100 companies, a massive percentage coming from like 10 people in the US. Shut down these people and it'd put a massive dent in the amount of spam going round.

Sociable · 15-12-2003, 21:13

I think the solution lies elsewhere on this one.

Surely it is not beyond the wit of man to come up with a way to auto recognise obvious spam sent to lists of random users on a specific ISP and blacklist the offending senders or sending server until they stop the spam.

They key thing being it is only the ISP's that could put this in place and it is the ISP's that will gain in the longer term by reducing the spam traffic which must be costing them both in real terms and in the level of disatisfaction of users.

This alone would stop a very high percentage of the offending mail without interfering with other mail at all.

That said maybe yahoo and others would lose out a little as they host many of the pages referenced by spam mails but that in turn means they alsdo have a part to play in helping solve this problem.

18-12-2003, 15:02

Hi All

How about tackling the problem using cisco methods. Have a database that the mail client will check online. If the sender has been registered as a spammer the system will dump the mail. I know that database systems like this are around but this system would allow the users to add spammers.

SMHarman · 18-12-2003, 15:06

Demon are implementing spam trapping on their pop servers from 1/1

http://www.demon.net/helpdesk/announ...3-12-10a.shtml

NTL could do well to follow suit.

Sociable · 18-12-2003, 15:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMHarman

Demon are implementing spam trapping on their pop servers from 1/1

http://www.demon.net/helpdesk/announ...3-12-10a.shtml

NTL could do well to follow suit.

Let's just hope NTL do follow the example it has to be the way to go IMHO.

mrm1 · 18-12-2003, 16:03

I use mail server software on my pc as it is quicker and more reliable than NTL's smtp servers. How will they know how many emails I send out. Unworkable I think.

SMHarman · 18-12-2003, 16:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrm1

I use mail server software on my pc as it is quicker and more reliable than NTL's smtp servers. How will they know how many emails I send out. Unworkable I think.

Demon actually test for Open Relay Servers on their network.

http://www.demon.net/helpdesk/announ...3-11-24a.shtml

I'm sure others do. That will pick your situation.

Oh and before I get accused of being the Neil of Demon Internet, it's just I have experience of using them, still being a customer and using their POP servers and as backup ISDN dialup.