[TAG] email issue

[J.Bakshi]

On Tuesday 03 Jan 2006 3:56 am, Rick Moen wrote:
> Quoting J.Bakshi (hizibizi at spymac.com):
> > Thanks to both Rick Moen and Jimmy O'Regan for their explanation.
> > Jimmy's answer is a bonus as he explained through a good practical
> > example. I have just come to know *mixmaster*. Though haven't gone
> > through its documentation yet, but *aptitude show mixmaster* shows
> > that it can prevent the recipient knowing your email address.
>
> Er, you _might_ have a use for mixmaster, but the preceding discussion
> didn't seem to suggest that, and I fear that you might be
> misunderstanding its intended purpose.
>
> Mixmaster is a client-server software tool for people running MTAs (SMTP
> machines), and their users, with the client piece allowing the users to
> issue pseudonymous e-mails, which the mixmaster daemon (server) piece then
> remails on their behalf.
>
> It would be very strange to send your routine, normal outgoing mail
> through Mixmaster, specifically because it would greatly obscure the
> identity of the sender.  Further, and more to your original point, it
> would do nothing to prevent you from also receiving spammer-and-malware
> generated junkmails at your real e-mail address, such as the garbage
> mail you cited that had a couple of null interior headers.
>
> As Ben knows, I've long been of the opinion that pretty much all "hide
> from spammers" strategies (including, well, "preventing the recipient
> knowing your address") are a dumb idea, really don't work worth a damn,
> and interfere with legitimate Internet usage to a degree I find
> unacceptable.  At least for those of us who control our own MTAs, there
> _are_ effective countermeasures, that don't involve self-concealment in
> any way.

Thanks Rick. You have provided a short as well as good article on Mixmaster & 
its application ( I may be permitted to say *for beginners* ). Now I can 
under stand that as a Workstation owner ( and not an MTA) I don't need 
Mixmaster. Thanks again.