Randall R Schulz wrote:
Such as? For all we know, you're collecting addresses and doing unspeakable things with them, too. Email is email. You post on a publically accessible list and you lose control of the address you use to post. Even if the archives have the email address expunged or altered, someone looking to collect addresses need only subscribe and start collecting.
Correct. The only way to reliably keep spam away from list addresses is to allow only the list server to send mails to that address. Of course, this kind of restriction is only available if you manage your own mail server.
The only thing to do about spam is dispense with it promptly and with a minimum of effort. My ISP does an excellent job of labelling it via SpamAssassin.
I had a lot of trouble with spam sorting done by the ISP, until I deactivated all anti-spam measures because I kept losing valid mails.
That, and treat it like all advertising: Don't patronize people or businesses whose business practices offend your principles or sensibilities. Spam only survives because people respond to it. True, it takes only a tiny response rate (by comparison to other media) to make email advertising worthwhile, but if everyone (and I do mean everyone) had the good sense to make it a point to punish rather than reward senders of UCE, it would eventually cease.
Never underestimate the potency of human stupidity. Entire industry branches are depending on it for their business model... Sandy