Newsgroup Question Posting and Answers

[Mr Nobody]

Pardon me if this has been asked before and is the wrong newsgroup for this
question.

I understand there is software out there that goes out to newsgroups and
"harvests" e-mail address from newsgroups for Spam and Virus sending. I
notice many people will post a question in a newsgroup (for example the
Windows XP group) and will get several Reponses from people trying to help
(Me included). Many times the question is repeated within the answer, and
many times it includes the real e-mail for the poster at the top or bottom
of the response. (Yes I've done it too) I know this feature can be turned
off but my question is----

Does the "Harvest" software pick up the now publicly posted e-mail
address????

Yes, I know about the message properties also.

Hope some here knows about this stuff

TIA
Mr. Nobody

[Vanguard]

When replying to someone's message, many news clients will include a
line showing the prior poster (the one to whom you are replying). That
doesn't make it *new*. That e-mail address is the same one in the
headers for the prior post. The person already exposed their e-mail
address to spambots which look BOTH in the headers and body of a post.

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"Mr Nobody" <nobody@neveremail.aaa> wrote in message
news:PXllb.1641$pJ1.898@twister.austin.rr.com...
> Pardon me if this has been asked before and is the wrong newsgroup for
this
> question.
>
> I understand there is software out there that goes out to newsgroups
and
> "harvests" e-mail address from newsgroups for Spam and Virus sending.
I
> notice many people will post a question in a newsgroup (for example
the
> Windows XP group) and will get several Reponses from people trying to
help
> (Me included). Many times the question is repeated within the answer,
and
> many times it includes the real e-mail for the poster at the top or
bottom
> of the response. (Yes I've done it too) I know this feature can be
turned
> off but my question is----
>
> Does the "Harvest" software pick up the now publicly posted e-mail
> address????
>
> Yes, I know about the message properties also.
>
> Hope some here knows about this stuff
>
> TIA
> Mr. Nobody
>
>
>
>

[Mr Nobody]

Thanks--I was concerned that I might have been unknowingly exposing others
(especially new posters, who haven't created a "on line" identity) to Spam
and other junk, by quoting the original post in a reply (Such as you did
with this one)
I know the original poster's address is in the header, however its not
normally exposed unless quoted or the properties are checked, at least in my
news reader (OE).
What I think you are saying is the original poster did it to himself by
posting in a public forum, as long as he/she uses their real e-mail address.

Thanks again, this helps me kinda understand, I think :-)

Mr. Nobody

[Jay T. Blocksom]

On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 07:17:31 GMT, in <alt.privacy.spyware>, "Mr Nobody"
<nobody@neveremail.aaa> wrote:
>
[snip]

> I know the original poster's address is in the header, however its not
> normally exposed unless quoted or the properties are checked, at least in
> my news reader (OE).
[snip]

That's only because your poor excuse for a "news reader" is lying to you
(one of its lesser sins). For your sake, as well as that of everyone you
correspond with, *PLEASE* get rid of that unmitigated piece of crap.

> What I think you are saying is the original poster did it to himself by
> posting in a public forum, as long as he/she uses their real e-mail
> address.
>
[snip]

Exactly. Most of the harvesting programs look *solely* at the headers,
since they can be picked off much faster and more efficiently, as compared
to downloading the full bodies of each article.

--

Jay T. Blocksom
--------------------------------
Appropriate Technology, Inc.
usenet01[at]appropriate-tech.net


"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.

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