Unfortunate Names Unfit In A Spam Infested World

Email

from the can't-choose-your-name... dept

Names can be funny things. Not everyone likes their name, but most people end up going through life without changing it. Even in the worst cases, people can usually get by with a terrible or embarrassing name. However, what happens when that name is almost unusable online? There were stories in years ago when people with questionable words within the spelling of their names or towns were banned from signing up for services like Hotmail. More recently, however, the problem is caused by spam filters. This summer, Ed Felten wondered how Jose Viagra, Julia Cialis, and Josh Ambien ever could send emails. Now, the Horniman Museum, in the UK, is experiencing a similar problem with the emails being blocked and their website being filtered by over-anxious filters that believe the name must be associated with porn or spam. Still, it’s a bit confusing, because the museum is now claiming that some “changes” to their own server has helped fix many of the problems — which makes you wonder if they wasn’t a different problem from the name.