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Email Spam Solution > The System
1. A whole new system
The problem with our current email system is that if you have someone's email address, or can guess it, you can send an email to them, for free. It can contain anything.
The system is, in retrospect, flawed - anyone with a HotMail account knows why: spam.
Rather than trying to patch up the current system, I suggest that we start again from scratch. A new email system, with no connection to the current one. The internet is capable of hosting private networks, so therefore a private email network is possible. If everyone joins the new system, and it has a better design, then the problem of spam can be solved.
2. Charge people to send emails.
Depending on where you live, posting a letter costs 30-50 cents or so. Plus the cost of the envelope and the effort taking it to the postbox or post office. We are used to this, we accept it.
So, what if it cost 5 cents to send an email. If there was no other alternative, we would pay it. So providing it was done in a fair and sensible way, people can and will pay for a spam-free email service.
FEB 2006 UPDATE:
Yahoo & AOL are starting to charge business 1 cent per email
AUG 2009 UPDATE: CentMail will charge 1c per email, donated to charity - a nice variation of my idea, but still too expensive to be widely adopted, and not expensive enough to prevent psuedo-spam
3. One email account per person
Each name and physical address can only have one account at any time. It doesn't have to be for life, but will ease some of the problems associated with people changing their email address all the time.
4. Anonymity
No directory. Unless you give it out, the only way someone can find out your email address is by guessing.
5. Credit Card required
Email Spam Solution is not free. To sign up you need a credit card. The combination of your credit card, full name and physical address will ensure that, if need be, you can be traced by the authorities.
6. A new standard
Ditch the old protocols, and invent a new one. We are now mature email users, and designing a new format should be easy - it will only be communicating with itself.
And ditch the @.
How about an email address that looks like this robert.skelton* (pronounced "robert skelton star")
It could be called StarMail...
7. Access using software or web-based
Something like Outlook on your home PC, and something web-based like Yahoo Email. You need your user name, password and PIN - it's an extra step to have a PIN, but it's worth it to keep the system secure.
Contents
1. The
system
2. How to get everyone to use it
3. How to make it profitable
4. How
to stop spammers from accessing the system
5. Who
can make it happen?