Code words

From ASRG
Revision as of 19:53, 30 January 2009 by Johnl (talk | contribs) (New page: {{ast |date=early 1990s |difficult=Low |popular=Low |effective=Medium |harm=Low |where=MUA or manual }} Code words are a variant on tagged addresses that put the tag in the Subject: line. ...)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigationJump to search
Anti-spam technique: Code words
Date of first use: early 1990s
Effectiveness: Medium
Popularity: Low
Difficulty of implementation: Low
Where implemented: MUA or manual
Harm: Low

Code words are a variant on tagged addresses that put the tag in the Subject: line.

They're most commonly used informally by people with addresses that get a great deal of both legitimate mail and spam, who say "put <word> in the subject line when you write" and use a simple MUA filter that looks for the word.

In principle this could be done per-sender and automated the same way as address tags, but it appears that nobody has done so.