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IMHO... obfuscating is not the answer... When a spammer's tool can look for "@", it also can look for "at" and its variants. They even scan image files.
The answer to the question is king of a cold war, a constant struggle to outwit the humint at the other end.
You're correct, however the operational theory is that because there are so many non-obfuscated email addresses available for spammers to harvest, most will not take the time to try to decode the techniques we might dream up. But yes, it's not an absolute solution.
- Leo 05-Jan-2009
Posted by: Rahul Mehta at January 5, 2009 3:22 AM
I don't tweet as it happens. However, if I did and I wanted to include my email address, then I'd make a disposable one up specially for the purpose using Yahoo's Addressguard system or something like it such as a GMX one. That way, if I started getting spam I could immediately destroy the address, or maybe I'd destroy it anyway after a couple of weeks, depending upon how current it needed to be for whatever my purpose was in publishing it.
Posted by: Nick at January 6, 2009 8:26 AM
...I use a downloaded software called MailWasher. It intercepts all my mail before it is downloaded, and scans it. I can even read it before I download it. Any email I don't want to download I can blacklist, "bounce" and /or delete. MailWasher can be found at www.mailwasher.net.
Posted by: Dallie Vernon at January 6, 2009 9:06 AM
Anything that you see on your computer screen
is in a file on your computer. It may not be
in your mailbox, but it's somewhere! It may be
in a temp file that eventually gets erased but
it is still in your computer memory and/or on
a computer drive.
Posted by: Rick E. at January 6, 2009 9:53 AM
Modern address harvesters can read at instead of @ and even read jpg images containing an email address. This article understates the problem.
Posted by: Peter at January 7, 2009 1:08 AM
Which also makes it a great way to place honeypots like this one: [email removed]
Many legitimate spam fighters use such places with great success.
Go ahead spammers... Get ahold of this address... Please!
Posted by: Arthur at January 18, 2009 8:08 PM
Read the article that everyone's commenting on.
Subscribe to the RSS Feed for comments on this article.
Comments
Read the article that everyone's commenting on.
Subscribe to the RSS Feed for comments on this article.
IMHO... obfuscating is not the answer... When a spammer's tool can look for "@", it also can look for "at" and its variants. They even scan image files.
The answer to the question is king of a cold war, a constant struggle to outwit the humint at the other end.
05-Jan-2009
I don't tweet as it happens. However, if I did and I wanted to include my email address, then I'd make a disposable one up specially for the purpose using Yahoo's Addressguard system or something like it such as a GMX one. That way, if I started getting spam I could immediately destroy the address, or maybe I'd destroy it anyway after a couple of weeks, depending upon how current it needed to be for whatever my purpose was in publishing it.
Posted by: Nick at January 6, 2009 8:26 AM...I use a downloaded software called MailWasher. It intercepts all my mail before it is downloaded, and scans it. I can even read it before I download it. Any email I don't want to download I can blacklist, "bounce" and /or delete. MailWasher can be found at www.mailwasher.net.
Posted by: Dallie Vernon at January 6, 2009 9:06 AMAnything that you see on your computer screen
Posted by: Rick E. at January 6, 2009 9:53 AMis in a file on your computer. It may not be
in your mailbox, but it's somewhere! It may be
in a temp file that eventually gets erased but
it is still in your computer memory and/or on
a computer drive.
Modern address harvesters can read at instead of @ and even read jpg images containing an email address. This article understates the problem.
Posted by: Peter at January 7, 2009 1:08 AMWhich also makes it a great way to place honeypots like this one: [email removed]
Many legitimate spam fighters use such places with great success.
Go ahead spammers... Get ahold of this address... Please!
Posted by: Arthur at January 18, 2009 8:08 PMTo post a comment on "Why shouldn't I include my email address in a Twitter post or 'tweet'?", please return to that article's main page.