Proposal to Reduce Spam

The way email currently works is:

1. Sender's email is stored on Recipient's server.

2. Sender can broadcast email.

3. Sender can forge headers, making it impossible to complain to Sender's ISP.
 

I propose:

1. Sender's email is stored on Sender's server. Recipient is sent a message with a unique link to the message and a maximum Subject line of 80 alphanumeric characters.

2. Sender can be anonymous, but not to Sender's ISP. There will be a feature (a button) so Recipient can tell Sender's ISP, "Don't send me any further email from this Sender."

3. Broadcasting is prohibited. If Sender wishes to send 1 million identical messages, then Sender's server will contain 1 million copies of the message.

4. Sender will be notified if (and when) the email has been read so it can be deleted from Sender's server. Alternatively, email can be deleted from Sender's server at the end of the day that it is read.

Jed Margolin
October 21, 2002