
Is the end nigh for email?
By Pia Heikkila
Published: 25 June 2002 15:45 BST
Spam will eventually kill email says the inventor of the first commercial email application.
Eric Allman, who wrote the world's first internet mail programme in 1981 and is CTO of Sendmail, said people will stop using email if the spam flood continues.
He believes users are in the middle of a spam explosion and there is very little companies can do to prevent it from worsening.
Allman said: "There is a genuine concern that too much spam will kill off email. We haven't quite got there yet, but it could happen."
Allman said the main problem with spam is the fact that it's free to the sender and the only way to get rid of it would be to make the sender pay for the messages: "We must make it chargeable to the sender. One way would be to use e-cash. Every time a spam is received, the receiver charges the sender."
However, this is only possible when the sender is known. Much of the email clogging up web mail accounts is not from the address it purports to be. UK universities have been particularly blighted by this problem (see http://www.silicon.com/a42837 ).
Allman added that defining the ambiguous nature of spam is the first major hurdle to overcome.
"There is no clear definition what spam is and what is not," he said. "If I sign up on someone's website and start receiving information from them, it's hard to say whether that's spam or not."
Working to deadlines to ensure accounts are worked within 10 days Handle customer telephone calls - Understanding of the WBS system - Effectively ...
Responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the networks (i.e.providing adequate protection from viruses, spam, hacking, compliance with the Data ...
In order to be short-listed for this position you will need the following skills and experience: - Strong Operations Business Analysis experience ...
CIO50 2008
The silicon.com CIO50 2008 profiles the most influential and innovative tech chiefs in the UK across all industries and organisation size, from the biggest FTSE100 companies to high growth dot-com start ups and the public sector. The list was voted on by the UK CIO community and a panel of experts. Find out more in our latest special report.
Momentum Webcast: Assessment and Deployment Best Practices for Windows Vista (Level...
Momentum Webcast: Moving Forward With Windows Vista SP1 (Level 100)
Microsoft Office System Webcast: Tips and Tricks for Office 2008 for Mac: Incredible...
Microsoft Office System Webcast: Compatibility Tips for Office 2008 for Mac and the...
Stories from the web...
Copyright ©1995-2008 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. Top of page
silicon.com Dear silicon.com... ZX Spectrum nostalgia, Mac attack, tag a bag… Reader Comments of the Week
Steve Ranger Editor's Blog: Home computing from Acorn, Amiga and Amstrad, to the ZX Spectrum Nostalgia 2.0...