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> Solving spam problems in a highly distributed large federation of networks is not simple. I agree and disagree with this statement: 1. The distributed syste

> Solving spam problems in a highly distributed large federation of networks is not simple. I agree and disagree with this statement: 1. The distributed system can't solve the spam problem, because it's not a technical problem. 2. The population can immediately solve the spam problem by responding in the affirmative to every single request they get. What makes spam profitable is the quality of the responses - right now only the marks respond, so every response is valuable to the spammer as it is a lead that will almost certainly result in money. If the spammer sends out 3m SMS/robocall messages, and gets 5 responses, those responses are worth actual money! OTOH, if the spammer sent out 3m SMS/robocall messages, and got 3m responses (of which only 5 are worth money), then the spam would quickly stop. IOW, by self-selecting into one of two groups (will give you money/won't give you money) we are making spam profitable. This is the only way to stop spam of any kind - poison the database.

pogue 3y ago
When you say 'poison the database' in the case if sms/robocalls what exactly would that involve?
- lelanthran 3y ago
  > When you say 'poison the database' in the case if sms/robocalls what exactly would that involve? It involves never blocking any SMS/robocall: for SMS always reply in the affirmative (i.e. you want an agent to phone you), for robocalls, keep the call active for as long as you can, and reply in the affirmative for future contact. You do that, knowing full-well that you aren't going to be buying anything. If even half the population did that, spam SMS and robocalls would become too expensive to do anymore.
rwmj 3y ago
I usually answer the spam calls and then try to keep a human on the line as long as possible. I get almost no spam calls on my phone now (although I'm not necessarily claiming this is a direct result).

pogue 3y ago

When you say 'poison the database' in the case if sms/robocalls what exactly would that involve?

lelanthran 3y ago
> When you say 'poison the database' in the case if sms/robocalls what exactly would that involve? It involves never blocking any SMS/robocall: for SMS always reply in the affirmative (i.e. you want an agent to phone you), for robocalls, keep the call active for as long as you can, and reply in the affirmative for future contact. You do that, knowing full-well that you aren't going to be buying anything. If even half the population did that, spam SMS and robocalls would become too expensive to do anymore.

rwmj 3y ago

I usually answer the spam calls and then try to keep a human on the line as long as possible. I get almost no spam calls on my phone now (although I'm not necessarily claiming this is a direct result).