Re: [Hampshire] Unscrupulous ISPs

Rob Malpass wrote:
> One other thought - how safe is your email address if you join a mailing
> list? Most of the ones I join are (one would hope) run by trustworthy
> folks (most are GNU or Linux) but before I commit my new ISP email
> account to joining a mailing list, I'd like to make sure I'm not making
> an obvious mistake.

There are (at least) three, four, no seven ways your e-mail address can
get out if you use it to sign up to a mailing list.

1) The mailing list has a public archive without obfuscated e-mail
addresses.
2) Someone runs an unofficial public archive without obfuscated e-mail
addresses.
3) Someone on the list chooses to sell the e-mail addresses of people
who post to the list.
4) The mailing list administrators choose to sell the e-mail addresses
of people on the list.
5) The mailing list software is compromised, revealing the e-mail
addresses of everyone on the list.
6) The server hosting the mailing list software is compromised,
revealing the e-mail addresses of everyone on the list.
7) One of the servers where the data from the mailing list is backed up
to is compromised, revealing the e-mail addresses of everyone on the list.

I'm sure there are more. The main point is, if you want to keep your
e-mail address secret, don't use it on a mailing list. In fact, don't
use it at all as it will" get out" sooner or later.

Tony