[debate] proposal: this house will legalize spam

[Rob Enderle]

You could probably use a token to identify mail that was funded and if the mail didn't have the token it would be stopped at the (enhanced) email gateways and not pass through the network or short of the email servers.    You'd pay for tokens in advance, $10 would purchase a lot of tokens.  Laws surrounding forging stamps could likely be adopted to this technology.  I'm pretty sure RSA and others could create tokens that would be hard to counterfeit and the billing system would quickly identify counterfeit tokens.   Much like stamps to move mail in the US you would have to adhere to the system.   Here is one link to the Bill Gates idea it was proposed at the World Economic Forum.  http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_internet01.htm 

This link showcases some interesting analysis on the concept:  

http://fare.tunes.org/articles/stamps_vs_spam.html



Rob Enderle
Principal Analyst

Work:  408 272-8560
Cell:     408 832-6326
FAX:    408 904-5274

-----Original Message-----
From: David Harley [mailto:david.a.harley at gmail.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 10:10 AM
To: Rob Enderle; 'E L'; 'Peter Jukes'
Cc: debate at whitestar.linuxbox.org
Subject: RE: [debate] proposal: this house will legalize spam

> Second, what really is Spam?  Let's I my spam 
> filter flags legitimate emails from vendors, my car 
> dealership (maintenance reminders), and PR folks who I know 
> as spammers and regularly blocks their email.  What if you 
> actually want cheap Viagra and the offer is legitimate? 

I have to agree that a common definition might clarify the terms of the
debate. How about Vixie's? 

> Bill Gates, some time back, proposed the idea of an email 
> tax.  Something that was a fraction of a penny per email.  

I'm not sure that could really work against spammers using illegitimate mail
channels. I.e. most of them...
  
> While off topic, I wonder if a fee structure on currently 
> illegal drugs, tobacco, and alcohol could be used to fund the 
> universal healthcare programs we know the country needs?  

Again, not altogether off-topic. Much spam is implicitly or explicitly
concerned with evading legitimate channels, so the "products", if they
existed at all (and by definition most spam is in some sense fraudulent),
would remain illegal and untaxable. 

--
David Harley BA CISSP FBCS CITP
Small Blue-Green World