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Gmail Spam Filter Testing

An anonymous reader writes "What can you do with 1000MB of e-mail space on your Gmail account? One guy, by the name of Aaron Pratt ( prattboy@gmail.com ), has decided to test the spam filters of Google's Gmail service by having his Gmail account blasted with every kind of spam imaginable. He is testing to see how well Gmail's spam filters can sort out the spam from legitamate email (yes, he does get personal emails from people). As of May 25th, he was at about 30% of his Gmail account's 1GB capacity. You can track his progress on his website, http://gmail.prattboy.net (Google cache of this site: cache: gmail.prattboy.net). Here is also an article talking about Aaron's efforts from webpronews.com"

28 of 285 comments (clear)

  1. first spam? by miketang16 · · Score: 5, Funny

    psh.. i've done this to my friends before.. they didn't need to make a website to ask for it...

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    "In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
    -- George Orwell
    1. Re:first spam? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oh, I didn't know that was you who passed my address along so I could b uy che.ap v1agra! Thanks! Those pi1ls made my p.e..ni.s gr0w 3-5 lnches! It was really very thoughtful of you, Mike.

  2. The Filter is great! by umrgregg · · Score: 5, Funny
    Apparently, Google's spam filter even filters messages that aren't there. From the website:
    3778 messages were received, totaling 213 MB.
    3917 were spam, and Gmail correctly identified 41.9% of these messages.
    Fantastic
    --
    NMG
    1. Re:The Filter is great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, thats just a classic threaded code bug:

      They just forgot the mutex surrounding the two snprintfs... so this user probably got 139 messages in the time it takes to execute snprintf, all spam.

      Which is.... about right.

  3. He gave out his e-mail address... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... to the entire Slashdot community! Now he's going to be flooded with all sorts of spam and shit. LOL!

    Oh... right. :)

    1. Re:He gave out his e-mail address... by umrgregg · · Score: 4, Funny

      Notice the reader who submitted the story was anonymous... Gotta love friends who sign you up for spam.

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      NMG
    2. Re:He gave out his e-mail address... by istewart · · Score: 2, Funny

      I once posted my AIM screenname (IStewart12) to Slashdot and got a total of one message from a concerned individual warning me about the flood of IMs I was now likely to receive. Must not have been a very active thread.

  4. I'll help by L.+VeGas · · Score: 5, Funny

    Let's all send him an email and ask him how it's working out.

  5. News... by somethinghollow · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Here is also an article talking about Aaron's efforts from webpronews.com""

    Since we are talking about spam and obtaining more spam, I don't know if I should read the site the article is on as "web pro news dot com" or "web pron ews dot com"...

    I guess I'll figure it out sometime.

  6. Re:gmail still beta by waddgodd · · Score: 5, Funny

    >isn't gmail still in 'beta' stages? if so, isn't a review of
    >spam filtering techniques a little premature?

    What part of Beta TEST escapes you here?

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    Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you
  7. Should gmail be filtering all emails by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    If I understand what he was talking about on his site, what he cansiders as spam partialy legitimate mailing lists and are not realy spam even if he did not personally sign up for them. IE (Me signing him up for the gay porn of the month club.) He may not want it but, I signed him up.

  8. I just want.... by AviLazar · · Score: 2, Funny

    to be able to reserve a name without numbers attached to it.... Damn it's going to be a race :(

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    I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
  9. Re:One of the best things Google/GMail could do by lockefire · · Score: 5, Funny

    Actually, I get a whole lot of emails with the random words and nothing else. I haven't quite caught on to the advertising strategy in that.

  10. Re:Not that impressive by peeping_Thomist · · Score: 4, Funny

    I have so far gotten very little spam in my gmail inbox.

    What was that address again?

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    Anything worth doing is worth doing badly -- G.K. Chesterton
  11. Re:pre-emptive strike theory by umrgregg · · Score: 4, Funny

    Right! My only idea is that Google's technology is so advanced, it filters messages before they are even sent. It's gotta be a result of faster-than-light calculations. Boy, I'm gonna buy me some stock.

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    NMG
  12. gmail spelling by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    >legitamate

    How about having Slashdot editors/Hemos test the gmail spell checker too?

  13. This won't work for me... by Chuck+Bucket · · Score: 2, Funny
    This won't work for me, how will I get emails like:
    • Home loans and refinancing
    • Proven techniques help you find a date tonight - guaranteed!
    • suuuper streeeeeeetch your coock
    • Drive that new car today
    • Give the girl what she needs
    • STRAIGHT TALK ON HAIR TRANSPLANTS
    • SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT: Rise N Shine, there all here
    • Your Degree by Fedex shipped
    • Make your man hood work right
    • Rooooock Haaaaard Ereeeectiooons In 60 Seeeeeecooooooonds
    • Sexually Explicit: At home mom's nude on cams
    • Free Phone Free Shipping Easy Qualify
    • get the p .e. nis si. ze she wants
    • Clearance on 6 MegaPixel DigiCamera
    • FWD: Ciialiss quazy DISCOUNTS - this is better then viagra, $2.0
    ** NOTICE: all subjects taken from my Yahoo email acct, from emails recieved this weekend. now you see why I run my own mailserver at home? **

    CB

  14. Filtering could use some help by csimpkins · · Score: 2, Funny

    This guy gets thousands of Spam mails without a problem, yet I can't receive a simple HTML attachment without the mail being rejected (552 Illegal Attachment). Hrmm...

  15. Cache? by Freon115 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do you really expect the Google servers to go down because of /.? ;)

    1. Re:Cache? by leo_llew · · Score: 5, Funny

      Obviously not, they provided a link to the GOOGLE Cache ;)

  16. Viola by doodlelogic · · Score: 4, Funny

    If I could stop all the spam I get...I'd feel like a whole string quartet!

  17. Re:whining? by AKnightCowboy · · Score: 2, Funny
    When you are trying to harden a system, YOU MUST BREAK IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, to see where it is weak.

    Slashdot operated under that philosophy for the first 2-3 years of it's existence. ;-)

  18. Re:How to never get spam by mumblestheclown · · Score: 5, Funny
    Hi! And welcome to the Internet! We're glad to have you aboard.

    Just to get you started, I'll give you a quick hint: virtually every internet discussion on spam includes some high and mighty moron that claims that by not giving out his email address, he never gets spam.

    The problem is, that for every one of those, there are plenty more who follow the same precautions and yet get plenty of spam to those accounts for a variety of reasons. Clearly, your soution is not the answer to "how to never get spam."

    A good rule for using the internet is to read a few discussions before you post. This way, you will be less likely to post something that makes you look naive. So sit back, relax, and enjoy a steaming hot cup of STFU while you read and learn!

  19. Re:One of the best things Google/GMail could do by ckd · · Score: 4, Funny

    They have a much higher ratio of PhDs than Microsoft, or just about anyone short of a hospital.

    Remind me not to go to your hospital. I want MDs treating me, not people who can give me a dissertation on ancient Sumeria or something. (MDs who also know about ancient Sumeria excepted.)

  20. Wow by EaterOfDog · · Score: 5, Funny

    His wang is going to be huge!

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    Crushing my karma one post at a time.
  21. Re:Not that impressive by furball · · Score: 4, Funny

    Mine's gdnguyen@gmail.com.

    Please only email me if you're barely legal and running a webcam. Thank you.

  22. Now my friends are spamming me by mparaz · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Please invite me to GMail!"

  23. Re:If this guy has used 30% of his capacity... by Zeebs · · Score: 4, Funny

    and I get a cubic buttload of crap daily

    God damned metric system.

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    Happy Noodle Boy says "F###ing doughnut! Mock me? You fried cyclops!!"