> >I was never clear of why we would want to have an e-mail address sent
> >in the first place. Dan, maybe you could review for everyone's sake why
> >this is and what scenarios demand its presence.
>
> One example where the From: field is clearly justified and useful
> is web robots. When some robot goes nutso on my sight due to an
> implementation bug, I as an information provider clearly have the
> right to know who's operating it and tell them to cut it out.
Before you get the reply that that is different from human users, it
is not. On several occasions I repeatedly got people from one
particular site requesting the same non-existant document form my
server. It would have been very nice to be able to email then to
establish some dialogue and get that behaviour fixed.
The number of times I'm finding myself doing reverse fingers and
ending up nowhere...
If we're talking about rights [to privacy], I think as a server admin
I have some rights too, namely to protect my service.
> > When I go into the library I can do so
> >without being monitored or tracked. If I check out a book, though, then
> >I leave a trail. In this new information theater, do we really have
> >to give up even more privacy?
Interesting analogy. Ever walked into a library wearing a mask and
made a nuisance of yourself? I don't think they'd be too impressed :-)
Yes, I think privacy is important. I don't think it's always vital,
and sometimes it can be a damn nuisance :-)
-- Martijn
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