A couple of our favorite Boulder haunts that offer WiFi access have begun to restrict sending email via Outlook or Mac Mail, essentially blocking the SMTP ports. Seems some jerk — or series of jerks — decided to use these public WiFi points to send important messages about Viagra, hot singles looking for dates in our area or OEM software at great prices (read: spam).
Now, we fully support capital punishment for true spammers (OK, kidding, but not by much), but it also seems to us there’s a better option to stopping the practice from a public WiFi spot.
While the solution is to simply use a Web client to send while there, this is more than a little inconvenient for those of us who rely on a local mail client for tracking correspondence. Depending on the time of day, email access (send and receive) is more important than access to the Web and it’s nice to count on that access between meetings across town from the office.
For businesses that offer free access in the hope we’ll buy a latte or two, I’m pretty understanding of using this tactic as a spam fix. However, when we pay for access (e.g., T-Mobile outlets at Starbucks), it seems there’s a better way. Look into a firewall or another program that can tell the difference between someone sending out a series of quick emails, even one every 30 seconds or so, and a barrage like a spammer would cause.
If I’m paying, can I please send email my way? If I’m off base, someone let me know.
