Re: Excerpt on SPAM from Edupage, 11 February 1997

[ichudov@algebra.com (Igor Chudov @ home)]

jim bell wrote:
> At 02:05 AM 2/14/97 -0600, snow wrote:
> >Pete:
> >> 	Yes, but why does monetary compensation make it then O.K.?  I'd rather
> >> pay for my Internet access, then be bombarded by spam, no matter what
> >> they paid me!  I think the best soln. is the one that is currently in
> >> place for phone calls - they can call once, but if I tell them not to
> >> call me again and they do, I can then begin legal action against them. 
> >> I pay more per month for my phone service than my Internet service (
> >> although in NY, *everything* is more expensive. ), and junk phone calls
> >> are way more intrusive then spam.
> >
> >	I figure if this scheme comes to fruition, I'll just set up a seperate
> >account (or procmail) to filter out the spam, deposit the coin, and go on
> >about my business.
> 
> 
> That's fine...that's EXACTLY the way the system would work!  Intentionally 
> so!  The purpose of the payment is not because the sender feels some sort of 
> legal obligation to pay; rather it's analogous to a tip to a waiter.
> 
> The sender makes the payment based on however much he _wants_ you to pay 
> attention to his message, but fully aware that there is no guarantee that 
> you'll do so.  

I can suggest a scheme where a fee would be attached to the message,
and the recipient would be able to get the money only after having
read and understood the message.

For example, you might receive the following message (it could be encrypted
by your public key to preserve the cash from the MITM):

To: jimbell@pacifier.com
From: spammer@dm1.com (Direct Marketing, by way of telysis.com)
Subject: an encrypted cyberdollar for you
X-Encrypted-Postage: 0891281229qwqoifoweihjrfiohsdlifhsluire82374029849
                     weuiyruiy3478ye874t23876459823y4897y5897y23849y589
                     39847578r3498yt893y75t9843y75t897y4385t9y74897gy77
X-Encryption-Key: in the message body

Dear Jim,

Here's one cyberdollar for you. It is "locked" by an encryption key. The
cybercoin is encrypted by an IDEA key and you can find out the key
by reading the message below:

@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 
Valentines' day presents at www.cheap-stuff.com!

An ideal Valentine's day present for your significant other, at a 
reduced cost for you! You can buy your loved one a thousand used 
condoms (mint condition) at a reduced rate of ONLY $5.95!

Visit us at http://www.cheap-stuff.com/cgi-bin/condoms/key.cgi?name=jimbell
to get your postage!
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 

The encryption key is located at the URL above.

###########################################################################

My opinion on this: I personally feel that this scheme is the way to 
go for spammers. Obviously, it is possible to build mail readers that 
would verify some kind of trusted signature on the attached postage, and
would highlight all such messages. The meaning of signature is "these
people are not crooks, there really is an encrypted dollar there".

Clearly, spammers who pay their readers to read their messages (and who
do get them to read) will have a very high response rate. That may 
justify adding postage to their letters.

The advantages are obvious. The disadvantage is a possibility of someone
stealing the money on the way, if the letters are not encrypted.

	- Igor.