Microsoft and Yahoo! are currently considering methodologies for applying fees for email use and strongly believe it will deplete, if not eradicate, spam and junk email.
Email users would be expected to purchase e-stamps which would identify where emails were originating, sourcing any large spam operatives. E-stamps may cost as little as 1 cent, still making email affordable for the average internet user. Read more of the issues involved here.
Following from Bill Gates announcement, Yahoo! says it is experimenting with an “economic friction” model to deter spamming, but says it will continue to provide a free web email service. Read more about their economic friction strategy. Further reading can be obtained here
It won’t work
I mean, maybe it would cut out the home grown spammers… maybe. But if we’re going to use the Post as a model — well, stamps haven’t stopped my mailbox from being filled with flyers, junk mail, and stuff labeled “occupant.” Is a one cent stamp going to do the same on the internet? How long before Yahoo! starts offering a “bulk rate” for those “legitimate” businesses that mass mail? (Like, um, Yahoo! for instance.)
Freinds, Family and worms.
“Gates additionally suggested emails sent to family members and friends would waive any email fees.”
Hmm. Do you register your family and friends with the service? Or would you have filters that allow unstamped mail from certain addresses?
Also, I’d be curious how the charges would work with worms or viruses that send e-mail to everyone address in your inbox.
Gates’ plan to rule the world 🙂 🙂
But you see, *you* are responsible for maintaining the anti-virus/security on your computer (yes, you ARE). Don’t open those attachments
But think about it, $.01 is pure profit, and if you’re responsible for the spam sent out in your name, then that’s millions of dollars a day in profit, all because of a shoddy operating system.
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Economic friction would reduce spam, because spam relies on a very low response rate – believe it or not, the junk-mail you receive is well targeted compared to email spam.
The issue is that there are *lots* of models which will reduce spam. But none that will put so much money into the pockets of major businesses.
Examples: response-challenge, traceback, calcuation stamps (run into Moore’s law issues), etc, etc.
— Ender, Duke_of_URL
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