Fun_People Archive
31 Jan
A Novel Solution to the Urban Myth Spam Problem

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 97 15:42:06 -0800
To: Fun_People
Subject: A Novel Solution to the Urban Myth Spam Problem

From: Wendell_Bishop@uunet.uu.net


In an effort to put some measure of control on the propagation of urban
myths, etc, I propose that all email systems be modified so as to delete
one word at random from each forwarded message.  In most cases, there will
be no loss of information through perhaps the first dozen forwardings.  In
some cases, I suspect the information content would actually improve.
Eventually, the intelligibility should degrade to the point that the message
is no longer worth forwarding.  Or as the ultimate restraint on unbridled
forwarding, it would eventually

© 1997 Peter Langston