Author: Rob Malpass Date: To: Hampshire LUG Discussion List Subject: Re: [Hampshire] Unscrupulous ISPs
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tony Whitmore" <tony@???>
To: "Hampshire LUG Discussion List" <hampshire@???>
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 6:49 PM
Subject: 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
> Thanks Tony - I must admit I had a feeling it might be quite easy if I
joined a mailing list. The real pain is that my new Zen account (which is
giving me close on 6Mb speeds) is great - but if I want to post to any list,
I either have to join with the Zen address or switch routers back to
ntlworld (ntl - as most ISPs do - don't allow email unless you're actually
part of their network). Either that or run a routine daemon I guess ;-]
