An alternative solution: reducing demand (Score 1)

The article points out one fundamental observation about the spam problem - people keep buying stuff from spam emails. I would like to suggest a somewhat controversial solution that nonetheless seems like it would be effective. I for one think that it is extremely difficult if not impossible to find a solution that will keep spam out. But we can stop spam forever if we destroy its market. ISP's have the ability (though maybe not the right) to discourage their users from responding to spam messages. If the return rate of users to spam drops by a few orders of magnitude, even the extremely marginal cost of sending email can destroy spammers' profit margins. I have a brief writeup proposing a policy and enforcement mechanism that is not without its concerns, if anyone is interested. spam.pdf