Optional forwarding address for spam (OldForumCopy)

General discussion re sg.

Optional forwarding address for spam (OldForumCopy)

Postby miniscus » Sat Aug 30, 2003 11:55 pm

By: joshfindley ( Josh Findley )
Optional forwarding address for spam
2003-06-24 08:13


How about allowing a user to optionally specify a second forwarding e-mail address to be used for messages that would otherwise be deleted?

In other words, if a message fails to meet the conditions necessary to be forwarded to the first e-mail address (e. g., a local account used regularly), then it is forwarded to the second e-mail address (e. g., a Web account checked less frequently) instead of being devoured. (If a user leaves this second forwarding e-mail address unspecified, then the message would be deleted as usual.)

Using this feature in conjuction with a disposable address that has reached its count would ensure that (a) e-mail from trusted senders would hit e-mail account #1, (b) no spam would hit e-mail account #1, and (c) e-mail from new--and possibly legitimate--senders would not be devoured, but instead available for periodic review via e-mail account #2.


By: maratheamit ( Amit Marathe )
RE: Optional forwarding address for spam
2003-06-24 16:22


I second this idea. Also this should be very easy to implement (just add another field to a table and to the advanced page; use it in the perl script to forward spam).

A good side effect would be the debugging capability it provides for the SG code.
The only hitch is the large amount of spam received at SG: the performance implications of forwarding all that email might prevent this feature from being offered.

-- Amit



By: joshfindley ( Josh Findley )
RE: Optional forwarding address for spam
2003-06-24 20:25


I'm guessing most users would leave the second e-mail address unspecified, so the volume of forwarded messages would increase only marginally.

For users who receive little spam but never want to see it in their local mailbox yet don't want to miss messages from would-be trusted senders, the additional forwarding would work great.


By: jqh1 ( Josiah Hamilton )
RE: Optional forwarding address for spam
2003-06-27 00:49


This feature has actually existed since close to the beginning (check the "what's new" listing for July 14, 2001). I've been hesitant to make it accessible through the user interface because:

a) if everyone used it, the system would have to work several times as hard as it does (it's a lot more expensive to send a message than to ignore it) and;

b) I was afraid of bouncebacks from spamforwarding addresses if they went out of existence or reached storage quotas. This isn't normally a problem with the good-mail forwarding addresses because, over time all the messages sent to an account converge on being eaten -- because of the countdown, trusted senders changing their addresses, etc. We wouldn't have the same statistical boon with the spam forwarding address.

That said, we'll be moving to a new server soon, and will have more server resources. In any event, I'm still happy to hook up the feature on a case by case basis.

By: jqh1 ( Josiah Hamilton )
RE: Optional forwarding address for spam
2003-06-27 00:51


(and Amit -- I'm sorry for not mentioning it before -- it certainly does make debugging easier! -- I guess I forgot about it)


By: nobody ( Nobody/Anonymous )
RE: Optional forwarding address for spam
2003-07-31 15:38


I read your idea and must say that it is not so good. because if i hated someone really i would:
1. make a fake spamgourmet account
2. use the email adress of the person i don´t like as second email adress
3. spread spamgourmet adresses around everywhere, so the poor person would be drowned in spam.
There would have to be security measures that keep me from doing such things!


By: maratheamit ( Amit Marathe )
RE: Optional forwarding address for spam
2003-07-31 17:38


You are right. The second email address should have to go through the same verification process as the forwarding address. That does mean that you cannot forward all eaten to a generic spam analyzer over which you have no control.

-- Amit
miniscus
 
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