TrashMail

TrashMail (TrashMail.net) is a free disposable e-mail address service created in 2002 by Stephan Ferraro, a computer science student at Epitech Paris which belongs now to Ferraro Ltd. The idea was to create temporary email addresses to protect against spam mail.[1] It mainly forwards emails to a real hidden email address.[2]

Description

TrashMail receives emails and forwards them to a real hidden email address. On account creation there is the option to set a number of total forwards and a date when the disposable email expires. For each forwarded email the counter is decreased by 1. When the counter reaches 0 or the date limit is expired then the temporary email address will be deleted.

After the temporary email address is deleted, any incoming email is rejected by the SMTP code 550 5.1.1. TrashMail also provides a free Mozilla Firefox add-on which is open source and downloadable on the official Mozilla Firefox website. The email registration and community forum are provided by HTTPS (SSL over HTTP) access to protect privacy. Additionally the SMTP server communication has TLS enabled.

As many spammers rely on harvested email addresses, the best method of avoiding spam is not to publish one's real email address.[3] By providing a temporary address, TrashMail allows users to protect their real email.

Extras

TrashMail differs from other disposable email address services in its possibility to use the Challenge-Response System for each free disposable email address. Additionally it provides real-time spam stats on its main page. It is possible to verify the current incoming spam amount on this site.

Software

TrashMail can be used by its homepage on www.trashmail.net. However an API is provided and documented on the forum which explains how to write custom software to use for the free service.

The following TrashMail software has been written:

  • Mozilla Firefox Add-On[4][5]
  • TrashMail for Netvibes
  • TrashMail Widget for Mac OS X
  • TrashMail for Google Desktop
  • TempMail for Windows 2000/XP
  • CCTrashmail for Windows 2000/XP


References

  1. ↑ "Sneakemail sorts out spammers", Manly Daily, March 31, 2004
  2. ↑ "Self-destructing e-mail address service", The Hindu, July 26, 2004, retrieved 2008-03-28
  3. ↑ Krasne, Alexandra (June 24, 2004), "GeekTech: Welcome to the Geek Club", PC World, retrieved 2008-03-28
  4. ↑ "Trash mail (Firefox extension)", PCtipp.ch, November 6, 2006, retrieved 2008-03-28
  5. ↑ Jatzek, Gerald (October 27, 2006), "Wegwerfadressen gegen Spam", Wiener Zeitung, retrieved 2008-03-28
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