Logging on to an inbox full of 50 unwanted messages can be burdensome to any e-mail addicted college student, but Microsoft chairman Bill Gates recently released several proposals to combat the growing problem.
Under the proposals, users may have to show proof that the sender has put forth personal resources — be it time or money — for every piece of e-mail sent, Microsoft spokesperson Samantha McManus said.
McManus said Gates “has a great passion for solving the spam problem and Microsoft is working very hard to fulfill the dream of a spam-free future.”
The proof-based proposal requires the e-mail sender’s computer to solve a puzzle, then attach the solution with the sent message.
McManus said the computer itself will perform the puzzle “cycle,” and non-commercial e-mail users will not be inconvenienced.
“Regular users wouldn’t notice a delay,” McManus said. “[Users] can afford to have their computers perform the puzzles, but for companies that send mass e-mails, having to solve the puzzles would overwhelm their systems.”
McManus also said this option has received wide interest and is already being used among businesses in the private sector.
The financially-based option would enable e-mail receivers to set up accounts and demand payments from senders who they believe have sent them spam, not just to everyday users.
Seen as a useful way to deter spammers who bombard e-mail accounts daily with junk mail, Gates’ vision is that everyday users will not be charged.
In theory, the spam senders, who dish out over a million e-mails a day, will be forced to slow down or stop completely due to the costly overhead.
McManus said this option is still in the hypothetical stage, and acknowledged that implementing the proposal may be challenging.
“This proposal has seen a lot of press, but the idea is so far in the future,” McManus said. “There is still a lot of stuff we need to work out.”
Paul Lazzell, a senior sociology and psychology major, said his PAWS account is overloaded with junk e-mail daily.
“Every day I have three whole pages of spam I have to delete,” Lazzell said.
Still, Lazzell said he likes the fact that e-mail is free and everyone can use it. He also noted that if people are already paying for Internet access, he wouldn’t want to see innocent people charged for sending e-mail.
Lazzell also said he thinks the idea could be potentially harmful to the companies and force them to change some of their ways.
“Anything financial, anything that hits [the spam sending company’s] pocketbook, will have an effect on how they do things,” Lazzell said.