Reporting Service- Munging

[Bob]

I realize there are different opinions about the value or necessity if munging. Personally, I feel more comfortable munging my email address rather than making it openly available to spammers when report-receiving entities choose to pass reports on directly to the spammers themselves.

When preferences are set to munge, email addresses are dealt with but display names generally are not. For purposes of discussion, assume the full email address format is this:

"Display Name" <email address>, or

Display Name <email address>

Clearly the email address is the most important item to munge. If we're dealing with the address, why not munge the display name as well? Depending on how the spammer acquired my information, the display name may be correct or manufactured. Either way, the potential exists, should a spammer choose to do so, to associate original spam with munged reports using display names.

The probability of such actions may appear small but why allow the option to exist at all? It doesn't require a wizard to associate an email address, or a display name, or both, with bulk email address databases. And, as I'm sure you know, those of us who report aggressively and regularly are not appreciated by these folks, and they are more than happy to put our email addresses on lists to be sold to other spammers and/or use them in retaliatory actions from time to time. That potential causes me to munge my display name (when it is accurate or in a form that is repeatedly received from the same spammer) before reporting -- all of which takes time that I'd like to eliminate.

I'd like to see preferences expanded to allow selection of munging for (1) email address only or (2) email address and display name. Those options should be adequate for anyone who desires to munge, in one manner or another. And it would eliminate the concern for misuse of display name that many of us share. I am interested in your thoughts. Thanks.

Bob

[StevenUnderwood]

I have moved this here because it is more of a New Feature Request than a problem with Reporting in general.

[Bob]

StevenUnderwood:

Is this where suggestions are placed until they fade away? I belive this suggestion could be implemented with relatively minor effort. Doing so would alleviate the concerns I have about un-munged display names that is also shared by many other "reporters".

Those of us who do not use the email service but faithfully and regularly report spammers, do so because we believe it can help to make their life more difficult and possibly help to motivate responsible ISP's to take action against them. Clearly the email service benefits from the timely reporting of folks like me. Eliminating the display name concerns, and extra reporting time required to overcome them, can only support and encourage more reporting -- in frequency and number of individuals doing so -- and that is worthwhile for the entire SpamCop community.

It would be nice to hear what those in control think and what the potential is for something being done. Increased reporting and reduced concerns, with less time required to do so, seems to be of value to everyone. If I'm missing something, please let me know. Thanks.

Bob

[Wazoo]

StevenUnderwood:

Is this where suggestions are placed until they fade away?

I'm not Steven, but .... I created this Forum section such that all suggestions/requests/etc. would be found in one place, in leiu of an occasional post buried within a discussion. The intent/hope was that the powers that be would check in every now and then, take in the data, perhaps put it into play. There was even some hope that these same folks might even take some time to actually respond. Perhaps it's time to point once again to a comment I placed into each of the Forum sections to remind folks that 99%+ of the support offered up in here is from other users. So all I can offer is that I made the resource available for both the users and admin folks. As just another user volunteering time, that's about all I can really do.

It would be nice to hear what those in control think and what the potential is for something being done.  Increased reporting and reduced concerns, with less time required to do so, seems to be of value to everyone.  If I'm missing something, please let me know.  Thanks.

Can only say .. please see the above <g>

[Bob]

Wazoo:

I appreciate and applaud the effort that you and the other moderators expend to make the forum a valuable tool for all of us. We don't stop to say so often enough, so let me do so here -- thank you.

I share your hope that the powers would want to keep their fingers on the pulse of the SpamCop community. And, when one of those well-intentioned, practical and helpful suggestions happens to roll in, maybe even take the time to let everyone know what they think. Communication can benefit senders, receivers and readers, while also "keeping the herd heading roughly west". That seems to be more of a goal than a reality to-date. But, stranger things have happened and hope springs eternal, so I guess we can plead, keep our fingers crossed and see if anything changes going forward. They are out there, aren't they?

Bob