" Peter Clark wrote in message
...
Perhaps the term router and server have been misapplied here?

This not being a technical newsgroup (and I guess, this thread really
doesn't belong, so I'll stop after this), I am using the term "server"
simply to describe a physical node within the Internet that helps pass along
traffic. "Router" would be a more specific term, of course. I consider a
"router" a type of "server".

[...] Is the contention that spammers are
gathering email addresses through the routine opening of email
*content* that is somehow being re-routed through a link they own in
the path between you and the person you're communicating with? Or are
we taking about them somehow hijacking MX records to open, read, and
then forward along routine email going from place to place?

The former. And I never said it was commonplace. My original reply was
simply to refute the claim that using the bcc field in any way hides email
addresses from any interested party that would otherwise be able to see the
rest of the email message.

As far as it not being feasible to inspect Internet traffic as it passes
through your routers, that's just silly. It would require only a completely
insignificant amount of extra overhead to detect traffic containing email,
and then to extract email addresses from that traffic. In any case, if
you're a spammer who has somehow arranged to be involved in routing Internet
traffic, why would you care if there was a little extra overhead? That
would be the whole reason for putting yourself in that position in the first
place.

Do not underestimate the motivation of spammers to find new, valid email
addresses, or the motivation of people who sell email addresses to spammers
to do the same.

I think it's pretty funny that the big debate here has been the question of
whether it's possible to pull email addresses from email as it's routed
across the Internet (which, IMHO, is obviously possible...ANY traffic can be
monitored by a party with enough interest and motivation), while NO ONE ELSE
has bothered to comment on whether using the bcc field actually hides email
addresses from those who would pull email addresses from email as it's
routed across the Internet.

Classic.

Pete