Aayush Arya is India Editor and Apps Co-Editor at I recently did an iPod extraction tool roundup for Macworld where I compared “10 utilities for extracting files from your iPod”. And then, as I occasionally do, I received an e-mail from a reader asking me whether there was an easy way to transfer files from her iPod mini to her new iPod touch. “Why, yes,” I replied, and told her that all she had to do was use any of those applications I’d reviewed to first transfer the files onto her Mac and then, using iTunes, move them over to her iPod touch.
But a few minutes after I’d dispatched the e-mail, I received this:
I’ve heard of this method of spam protection before but this was the first time I’d encountered it myself. It was a little jarring to discover that I had to fill out a form in order for my e-mail to even be eligible to get to her inbox. Do people who opt for services like these really expect everyone who e-mails them to go through this procedure, even if it’s a one-time set-it-and-forget-it deal?
I wanted my reply to get to her, so I did click on the link and do the needful but if I started getting these with any regularity, say even one per couple of weeks, I don’t think I’d bother. There’s a fine line between prudence and paranoia and this approach to spam protection clearly crosses into the latter’s territory. A few junk e-mails getting into you inbox don’t do nearly as much harm as even a single really important one not getting to it might.
-Aayush
