MIT Conference Addresses E-mail Problems

Attendees at the 2006 Spam Conference at MIT agreed that filters and other technologies designed to prevent spam from reaching its intended targets merely address the symptoms without doing anything about the underlying problem. Many were similarly dismissive of proposals to charge a fee to senders of e-mail, saying that such an approach runs counter to the fundamental tenets of the Internet. Phil Raymond of Vanquish Labs compared a fee system to having first class and cattle cars on a train, suggesting that “some of [the cattle] cars will be left behind completely.” Presenters at the conference instead urged adoption of economic incentives that would encourage users to be good e-mail citizens. Raymond, for example, proposed a system under which bulk e-mailers would be required to post a bond, against which recipients of those e-mails could make claims if they deemed messages to be spam. Opinions were mixed, however, about the CAN-SPAM Act. Jon Praed of the Internet Law Group said the legislation has done little to discourage spammers while placing new burdens on legitimate e-mail marketers. In contrast, Aaron Kornblum, a member of Microsoft’s antispam legal team, said the law was the basis for 70 civil lawsuits that Microsoft has filed against spammers since January 1, 2004.

CNET, 28 March 2006