Re: [Evolution] Replying to spam

[Adam Tauno Williams <awilliam whitemice org>]

On Wed, 2013-07-10 at 10:49 +0100, Pete Biggs wrote:
> > > > Andre, it's better, if we don't reply to spam, to enable easier and more
> > > > secure filtering of junk mails.
> > > I think it's not better per se, and I missed the implementation details
> > > of "enabling easier and more secure filtering" here...
> > It could happen that replying to spam will increase the false rejection
> > and/or false accept rate.
> To be honest I think the level of non-caught spam I get just from
> posting to this list (or any public list) far outweighs the noise
> associated with replying to spam here! :-)

Really?  I do not believe this at all - I've been using this same e-mail
address - unobfusticated [awilliam whitemice org] - to post to dozens of
lists since the nineties.  And the level of SPAM I receive [unfiltered]
is quite low, barely rising to the level of nuisance.

There have been a couple of case studies - and what I read indicates
there is no correlation to SPAM and posting to public lists.  Far and
away, way past anything else, the driver for SPAM found in those case
studies was using an e-mail address to sign up for corporate services /
discounts.   Addressing anything else for a 'SPAM problem' is chasing
the mouse in circles around the dragon; it does little but amuse the
dragon.