# Making spammers pay..with your screensaver.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-spammers-pay-with-your-screensaver/277325>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 30, 2004, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-spammers-pay-with-your-screensaver/277325 "2004-11-30T14:32:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-spammers-pay-with-your-screensaver/277325/1 "2004-11-30T14:32:26Z")

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I’ve been doing this for awhile with a screensaver from [here](http://makelovenotspam.spray.se) , but it appears that Lycos is jumping on the [bandwagon](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4051553.stm) as well.

When the screensaver kicks in, it automatically requests data from spamming websites, putting a “load” on those servers. The screensavers are designed to NOT do a DOS (denial of service) attack on the servers, but to put a load on the servers, making the spammers at least pay more dough to host their crap.

The screensaver evens displays a cool graphic showing data requests hitting the various spam servers.

(To clarify, it’s hitting the websites HOSTING the spammed Viagra ads etc…its not hitting the servers that send the mail)

I highly recommend the screensaver (it’s for Mac and Windows last time I checked)

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**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-spammers-pay-with-your-screensaver/277325/2 "2004-11-30T14:34:15Z")

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And apparently I didn’t notice the existing thread about this.

Insert forehead slap and “D’Oh” sound.

If a mod would issue a cleanup and closure in aisle 5, please.

Sorry.

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**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-spammers-pay-with-your-screensaver/277325/3 "2004-11-30T15:25:06Z")

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[LINK](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=289058) to other thread.

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**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-spammers-pay-with-your-screensaver/277325/4 "2004-11-30T16:31:08Z")

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> [@beagledave](#):
>
> Insert forehead slap and “D’Oh” sound.

:smack: D’oh!!