[request] Add feature to control disposable email creation

[torvid]

Thanks for the amazing website, SpamGourmet is a fantastic idea. I have a suggestion. I didn't see this mentioned previously.

I've noticed people complaining about spammers guessing their login, and creating disposable addresses with their format. The format is indeed somewhat predictable. And as I understand it, disposable aliases are created based on SG receiving emails in the correct format.

I would suggest that in order to control the creation of the disposable aliases, there would be an option to look at your grid of used aliases, and add and control them from there. In your FAQ you mention that the beauty of SG is that you don't even have to come to the website again to create aliases. However, it would be a fantastic option if you could come to the website periodically to control your aliases.

Basically you would be able to run your SG account in the mode where aliases are created by receiving an email from someone, or in the mode where you create your aliases on SG, and don't allow them to be created by incoming emails.

I would use the latter mode. I would create a list of unpredictable aliases for myself, and whenever I had to signup for something, since I'm obviously already on the internet, I could just check SG for my next unused alias (I guess I would need a 'used' checkbox, or a comments field where I could say what site or domain I used each alias for), set how many emails it can receive, then use that. Or I could just create a new alias everytime I sign up for something.

In that way, no one guesses my aliases, no one creates aliases but me. Incoming emails in the correct format would get rejected (eaten) because I have that mode disabled. You also wouldn't need to set the email limit in the alias itself anymore, because you'd set that in the web GUI right on SG's website. You'd still use the format "someword.spamcowboy@spamgourmet.com"

Also, it would be cool to be able to set aliases to expire by email count or by date.

Once again, I apologize if this suggestion has already been posted. Thanks guys, your site is awesome!
-Torvid

[josh]

You can pretty much do that with what's there now, but it's not very straightforward.

But first, instead of what you're suggesting, consider using a watchword strategy -- come back and change it every once in awhile. Somebody (me?) should write a howto document on good ways to approach this. Personally, I don't use the feature, though, because I don't have to yet. With a good strategy that changes every couple of months or so, I really think you'd have the equivalent of totally disabling auto-creation from the perspective of other people, and you'd only have to see my ugly website design every couple of months.

If that doesn't sound appealing to you (or if you like the website), then:

To disable autocreate, put in a watchword that is really long -- you won't have to remember it, so use something like ifjodeqj809fu39p2 -- then, enable watchword protection (if you have other watchwords, delete them). There -- you just shut off auto-create for everyone, including yourself. Next, when you want to create an address, go to the "send a message from one of your disposable addresses" link. The form gives you a place to create a new address if you like -- you have to type something in the recipient field, but it doesn't matter what it is. Don't select one of your existing addresses, but rather, fill in the info for the new address. When you submit that, the new address will be created, circumventing watchword protection because we know it's you doing it. Ignore the special redirection address unless you actually want to use it. Repeat as necessary.

We currently do support date-delimited addresses (for up to 4 weeks in the future), using the format word.YYYY-MM-DD.user@spamgourmet.com, but we haven't wired that support through to the form I just described (that is, they have to be autocreated). We'll do that before too long.

[torvid]

Thanks josh for the quick response. I showed my original post to my brother yesterday (who had originally directed me to SG), and he had said he thought your site design already allowed for this.

I'm glad to find out it does. Thank you for taking the time to personally instruct me how to do this, when I probably could have found it quite easily in your FAQ.

Thanks again for the service.

[jimkoke]

An interface to SG via a FireFox plugin to manage, even create, disposable email address would be the "perfect" solution.

[mika84]

[quote=josh]We currently do support date-delimited addresses (for up to 4 weeks in the future), using the format word.YYYY-MM-DD.user@spamgourmet.com, but we haven't wired that support through to the form I just described (that is, they have to be autocreated). We'll do that before too long.[/quote]

Simply great... I have been missing this feature. Sometimes when I'm selling something and put out public note or so. I will get plenty of mail in short time. And after that everything is just spam.

Specially handy with newsgroups or so.

[mika84]

First bug found out...

ONE message comes trough even if date has been expired already... I think messages should be discarded immediately... Before sending or even other processing. (it word doesn't need to be prosessed if date has been expired already)

Btw. What happens if that date is in future more than 4 weeks? It's ignored and not prosessed just like expired mails or?

[josh]

Guess so -- I'll have a look at that. If the date extends beyond the date limit, then the date limit is used (that is to say, if the date is beyond the 4 week period, then the address is set to expire in 4 weeks)

[mika84]

If the date extends beyond the date limit, then the date limit is used (that is to say, if the date is beyond the 4 week period, then the address is set to expire in 4 weeks)

Sounds good to me. But if it's that automatic, why there isnt shorter form for that default max 4 weeks?

keyword.date.gourmet(at)spamgourmet.com

Would be just same as putting kyword.9999-99-99.gourmet(at)spamgourmet.com

As there are sender and domain.

(IMHO)

[mika84]

There isn't any reply.

I still think that long date is too long.

Why not to use same kind of trick that jetable uses.

keyword.hour.id@sg
keyword.day.id@sg
keyword.week.id@sg
keyword.month.id@sg

That shouldn't be too hard because we already have sender and domain options.

- Thanks