From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Sat, 23 Aug 1997 01:27:29 +0800
To: cypherpunks@Algebra.COM
Subject: Re: Spam-killing PGP5/ecash postage plugin...
In-Reply-To: <v0311070cb02275a79bcd@[139.167.130.248]>
Message-ID: <v03102802b0236ef8ac5a@[207.167.93.63]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



At 12:01 AM -0700 8/22/97, Mike wrote:

>If it's $.02 to send a mail to 10000 cypherpunks, then spammers won't
>hesitate to send it. If it's $.02 * 10000 ($200) then only rich people
>(like tcmay) will post here. The only solution I see is moderation and
>censorship, and that can be (and has been) done without e-postage.
>
>Exactly how do you think that e-postage would decrease spam on mailing
>lists?

Well, first of all, one of the reasons I now have money is that I was
frugal in my high-earning years. And that means not paying $200 to send my
words out to 10,000 readers.

"Spam" is a controversial topic. The term itself is too overloaded and
fraught with various meanings to be useful. Some refer to _anything_ they
don't want, or didn't specifically request, as "spam." And so on.

As for the claim that "The only solution I see is moderation and
censorship," Mike needs to go back an revisit the list's experiences with
moderation and censorship in the January-February period this year. It was
neither cheaper nor more effective.

--Tim May

There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws.
Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!"
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
tcmay@got.net  408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero
W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA  | knowledge, reputations, information markets,
Higher Power: 2^1398269     | black markets, collapse of governments.
"National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."