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There are a lot of smart people in this country, and many of them seem to be trying to solve the SPAM problem. From filters built into e-mail products like Outlook, Eudora and Entourage, to third-party products like Spam Assassin, and even online groups like SPEWS—it’s a SPAM-killing arms race. About 2 years ago I tried to use
the built-in SPAM filters in Outlook at work. After finding a
few critical customer e-mails treated as SPAM by Outlook, I decided
to delete the SPAM manually. I get more than 100 SPAM messages
a day, so I’m sure that I have deleted a few by accident.
Mailblocks is a Web-based e-mail client that uses a challenge-response technique to block SPAM. It assumes all e-mail is SPAM and immediately sends a response to the person who sent the mail asking them to verify that they are not SPAM. The sender has to type in a few numbers (computers can’t read the numbers) and respond. They only have to do this once and they are approved for future e-mail. My e-mail address was posted on a number of Web sites, in chat rooms, and even in print. SPAMMERS use a variety of methods to find valid e-mails to send SPAM to, and I seem to have attracted a large number of them. With Mailblocks anyone that tries to send me e-mail will have to prove they are not a SPAMMER. This approach is so unique they have patented the technology and are licensing it to other companies. They have a really unique feature called “Trackers” that let you setup a temporary e-mail address. This is perfect for selling stuff on eBay, signing up for mail lists, or posting to an online chat room. If SPAMMERS find your name, you simply delete the address and create another. This way I¹m not risking my main e-mail address when I buy something from an online vendor. When I get the product, my relationship with the vendor ends, so if I didn’t ask for it, why are they sending me all of this e-mail? In the spirit of full disclosure, I was given a free Mailblocks account (most reviews are written with software “donated” for the review). I’m not sure I would have paid for it before I started using it, but I’m now figuring how to move all of my e-mail addresses to MailBlocks. Is it worth $9.95 per year? Definitely! Since it costs about 83 cents per month for the service, if you spend one hour per week dealing with SPAM you¹ll a lot happier when you read your e-mail. They are running a special that gives you 2 bonus years when you sign up (at the time of this review). |
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