[IP] more on BBC article on spam "solution" of hashcash, from Microsoft

[Dave Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+@ux13.sp.cs.cmu.edu
Date: Fri, 26 Dec 2003 11:50:34 -0700
From: "Robert M. McClure" <rmm@unidot.com>
Subject: Re: [IP] more on BBC article on spam "solution" of hashcash,
 from Microsoft
X-Sender: rmm@unidot.com
To: dave@farber.net

At 01:29 PM 12/26/03 -0500, Dan Steinberg wrote:
> The idea of micropayment is not new. It has been brought up and shot down 
> about as many times as any I guess. The simple issue that fails to be 
> recognzed by anyone who brings it up is collection. How do you effectively 
> collect these micropayments when one of the key problems in fighting spam 
> is the identity of the spammer is hard to find?

This problem has been addressed and largely solved by the design of the VAT 
(value
added tax) system.  Each party has to collect from those with whom they are in
immediate contact.  More precisely, each party must collect, for example 
$0.01 from
each party from which it collects one message, and pay the same to each 
party to
which it sends a message.  For a simple relay, this is a wash.  An 
individual customer
of an ISP would simply be billed or credited with the (small) amounts 
involved.  This
would force each ISP to assure itself of the creditworthiness of each of 
its customers
or limit the number of messages sent.  A spammer sending 1,000,000 messages 
would
then find the venture unprofitable.  Reducing the financial incentive for 
spammers is
clearly the only ultimate solution.  Legitimate senders of bulk mail (e or 
ordinary) have
long since learned to cull their lists and not send needless mail.

Bob McClure



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