"scanning" e-mail [WAS: 3 Free Gmail invites]

Thu Aug 19 18:05:51 UTC 2004

> I believe your last statement is factually incorrect.  I absolutely _can_ do 
> anything I please with "your" e-mail you send to me.  Not only that, I also 
> believe I _may_ do it.  You send me e-mail, the e-mail is now mine.  I can 
> post it publicly, put it into a search engine, or deleted it, and you have no 
> say in the matter.  Might not be polite, but it certainly it not illegal. 
> Don't like it, don't send me e-mail.  (Please. :)

A dozen routers processed the packets for his message to nanog, postfix 
processed it at merit, it went through the headers and checked it against some 
files on on their side probably, then it went through some more routers and 
maybe the FBI's carnivore system along the way, then it hit my postfix which 
ran it against some more files.. then spam assassin took a whack at it, then 
procmail took hold of it and scanned the mail.. then it was sent to pine, and 
then pine read it..  then I finally read it. Merit runs a mailing list, they 
chose to do some of those things, then i run my mail server, I chose to do 
some of those thingslooks like you're right.. he has no control over what 
happens to his mail once he sends it.

> Perhaps you are worried that Google will read your e-mail?  Or maybe let 
> others read it?  Well, I hope you never send e-mail to anyone who does not 
> run their own dedicated mail server on their own dedicated hardware and 
> encrypt the SMTP session.  'Cause you are worried about something that has 
> been happening for decades.  (Plus I think  you have to be more than a little 
> arrogant to think anyone at Google gives a fart about the e-mail you send.)

This is all of the information google states that advertisers get:

'Advertisers receive a record of the total number of impressions and clicks 
for each ad'

That's it.. nothing more. If the guy is scared of robots/computers reading his 
mail or any of his information.. The internet is not the place for him.

He can choose not to email gmail directly, but he better not ever mail a 
mailing list.. and hope his friends never bounce a message of his to google.

> But hey, it's your e-mail, send it or not as you please.  I like the idea 
> behind G-mail, I just can't deal with a web-based e-mail client.  You don't, 
> then don't use it.

Same here.. pine has served me well for years, and will continue to. I got a 
gmail account like many others, just to check it out.. It seems nice, easy.. 
the interface even works well under Firefox and Mozilla. I would select gmail 
over yahoo, just because their ads are non-intrusive and there isn't flashing 
crap all over my screen.