Q. How does spamgourmet stop spam?
A. Simple. We delete all of our users' email.

Q. Do you really delete all the mail?
A. OK, there are a couple of exceptions. See below.

Q. Is it free?
A. Yes. All we want is your spam. Your copious spam! (for statistics - the spam is deleted)

Q. Are you going to send me any email?
A. No. That is, unless you email us, in which case somebody will probably reply.

Q. Really, how does this site make money?
A. It doesn't. This is a non-commercial service created by folks who've been driven rabid by spam since 1993 or so. If you're really concerned, donate, buy a t-shirt, or a mug, or something. Or don't. It really doesn't matter because the service actually costs very little to run, and there are plenty of people lined up to take over paying the tiny hosting fee, if the need ever arises. Nobody has money tied up in the service -- nobody is expecting a return on investment from the service.

Q. Will spamgourmet stop spam from coming straight to my email address?
A. No. Spamgourmet only gets involved when the sender uses a disposable address that you've given out. When this happens, the message first comes to spamgourmet, then (maybe) to you. If someone sends a message straight to your real email address, spamgourmet isn't involved at all.

Q. How do I create a disposable email address?
A. First, set up an account here, if you haven't already, and save your real email address in the space provided (don't skip this important step!). Remember your username. Later, when you need a disposable email address, just think of a word (any combination of letters and numbers (20 characters max), provided you haven't used it before), and decide how many messages you want to receive at the new address. Then, put the word, the number, and your spamgourmet username together with dots to form the disposable address. For instance, if your Username is "spamcowboy", then you could make a disposable address like so:
someword.2.spamcowboy@spamgourmet.com
Then, you can use the address to sign up for your favorite spam-prone website, get a confirmation message, get your password in the second (and final) message, then smile and consider for a moment that no one, no-how is going to send you email with that address again.

So, you really don't do anything to "create" the address - you just make it up on the spot. The address will be created automatically in our system the first time it gets used.

Note: As of January 3, 2002, you can use a word instead of a number -- the system will look at the first letter of the word and use its position in the English alphabet as the number (the words 'sender' and 'domain' are exceptions - see below). The limit of 20 still applies, so letters after 'T' will still count as 20. So, now: iam.a.spamcowboy@spamgourmet.com
will be good for one message - 'a' being the first letter of the English alphabet, and
iwannabe.your.spamcowboy@spamgourmet.com
will be good for twenty messages -- 'y' is the 25th letter of the English alphabet, but since that exceeds 20, it will be set to 20.

Q. I signed up and gave out some disposable addresses, but I'm not getting any mail through the system. What's wrong?
A. Check and make sure you can receive mail at the forwarding address you supplied - this is the one that's displayed near the middle of the screen when you sign up or log in, and this is where your forwarded spamgourmet mail is going. If it's not correct, fix it and click save. Another possibility is that the folks you gave disposable addresses to haven't used them yet. You can test your setup by sending a message from your email program to an address like
testme.3.yourusernamehere@spamgourmet.com
Another frequent cause of this is spam filtering software working on your forwarding address -- that is, messages get through spamgourmet, but then get caught by some other spam protection before they make it to your inbox.
If you're still having trouble, send an email to the info contact on the front page.

Q. I can't stay logged in! When I switch from no-brainer to avanced mode or try to do anything, the system says I'm not logged in even though I just did! What gives?
A. Check your cookie settings -- spamgourmet uses a "session cookie" (the kind that is *not* stored on your computer) to track your log-in state. Make sure that the spamgourmet site is allowed to set a session cookie in your browser. Some newer browsers (IE?) appear to disallow this by default.

Q. How do you delete disposable addresses? My address list is getting cluttered.
A. You don't -- rather, you "hide" them from your list by choosing the "hidden" checkbox on the address edit screen and updating the address. If you actually deleted them, they'd be created (with a full set of messages) the next time they were used.

Q. Couldn't you make the whole thing a lot easier to understand by redesigning your site and providing instructions in a more clear way?
A. Probably. Frankly, we're trying to build a user base of people like you, who probably have some familiarity with the way email works and who are willing to read FAQ's. This is to keep our support burden to a minimum (this is a non-commercial service). So far, the approach has worked well -- just about all our users hit the ground running with no need for support, and it's our belief that those users who would require support generally don't sign up in the first place, perhaps because of the geeky presentation of the site. That's not to say we don't provide support where it's needed -- after skimming this FAQ, please don't hesitate to write if you have a question or believe there's a bug.

Q. How come the number in the disposable email address doesn't go down as I receive emails?
A. Well, that would make a different email address, wouldn't it? We record the number the first time we see the disposable address, then count down internally to zero. The truth is, after we've created a disposable address, the number really doesn't matter anymore, and another one could be used. The person (or thing) you gave the address to will still have the original number as part of the address, though.

Q. What is the maximum number of email messages I can receive at a disposable address?
A. 20. If you specify a number higher than 20, our internal counter will be set to 20. You wouldn't really want more than 20 messages on a disposable address, would you?

Note: as of June 8, 2001, you can add more messages to ('refill'?) an existing disposable address by going to advanced mode, clicking the view/edit link, locating the address (they're sorted by age, newest to oldest), clicking the 'word' of the address, then increasing the number of remaining messages and clicking the update button. Each message still has a max of 20 messages at a given time.

Q. So I can answer 'yes' when they ask if I'd like to receive notices of special offers and exciting products from trusted affiliates?
A. Yes! Yes you can!

Q. Wait, doesn't this mean that anyone can make up a word, specify a number, and then send me email at my spamgourmet address?
A. You, who are obviously using your brain, should no longer use no-brainer mode and should start using advanced mode. But let's first consider the likelihood of that happening and also whether you'd consider such email spam. Remember that most spammers use automated programs to send email to thousands or millions of recipients from lists of hopefully real emails that they compile or acquire. Currently, we are not aware that any of these programs make up complicated email addresses in the hopes that they'll work. If someone singles out you, yes, you, [your name here], and sends a message to you this way, then we can't really say it's a bulk email. If you're still freaked out, go to advanced mode and specify a prefix word, then come back and change it every once in a while. Disposable addresses will need to contain your current prefix word in order to be created, like so:
currentprefix.someword.4.spamcowboy@spamgourmet.com
So the prefix works like a password that a sender must have before the sender can create an address on your account. But really, stop freaking and try no-brainer mode for awhile (or, at least, advanced mode without using a prefix). It's easier, and it'll take quite some time before your username gets around, anyhow.

Q. Can I specify a trusted sender or domain who will be allowed to send me email at my spamgourmet account?
A. Yes, in advanced mode, just list senders' email addresses or domain names in your setup and these senders will be allowed to send you email using any of your disposables without advancing the count. Of course, if you really trusted a sender, you could just provide your real email address. So here, we're talking about folks you trust to send you email, but don't trust to keep your email address to themselves.

Q. So I can sign up for a service with a disposable address, then, if I decide I'd like to keep receiving email from the service, I can come here and add their address as a trusted sender and keep getting email from them?
A. Yes. Just look at the "from" address on one of the emails you received and add it as a trusted sender.

Q. Is there a way to give an address that allows the initial sender to send an unlimited number of messages, but eats mail from anyone else ('exclusive sender')?
A. Yes... but be careful, since the first sender may not be the one you had in mind. If you give an address like this:
someword.+.spamcowboy@spamgourmet.com
or someword.sender.spamcowboy@spamgourmet.com
the system will record the first sender on the address, allow all mail to that address from that sender, and eat all mail to that address from all others, unless they're on your main list of trusted senders. More broadly, if you give an address like this:
someword.*.spamcowboy@spamgourmet.com
or someword.domain.spamcowboy@spamgourmet.com
the system will record the domain of the first sender and accept mail at that address from any sender in that domain, eating mail from all others, unless they're on your main list of trusted senders.

Really, be careful with this one. One of our crew used this method to sign up for some semi-critical service, and then, what do you know, the first message came from an 'opt-in' spammer and he missed the important messages that followed. After that, guess who was allowed to keep sending messages indefinitely... Because of the potential for trouble, we haven't documented this feature on the main page.

Also note that, as of June 8, 2001, you can add/edit/remove exclusive senders from any of your disposables by clicking on the view/edit link in advanced mode. This will let you send a normal disposable, then 'lock in' the sender at any point you like -- similar to adding a 'trusted sender' for your account, but specific to the particular address. Also, if it's the "to" address that is unique for a particular mailing list you want to use, that will work just as well here (just don't put the disposable address itself here, of course, since that would have the effect of allowing an unlimited number of messages from anyone).

Q. Why do I have to confirm my forwarding email address? I didn't have to do that before December 10, 2001.
A. As one 'lj' put it in the new features suggestions discussion:

mmmm...perhaps add a confirmation of some 
kind when a forwarding address is changed? 

I could sign up for a hundred mailing lists in 
digest mode to go to one SG address. I could then 
reply to each opt-in confirmation forwarded 
to me to verify the address. 

Then I could go back to spamgourmet and change 
the forwarding address to someone else's email. 

I would only have to reply to the confirmations 
for digest mode, while the victim would get all 
the big emails once I changed the forwarding address. 

lj 
Not that lj would do that, of course... but starting December 10, 2001, users will need to confirm new or changed forwarding addresses by clicking on (or pasting into their browsers) a special URL that is emailed to the address. Existing forwarding addresses will continue to work without confirmation.

Q. Why did the counter on the front page drop on March 3, 2001?
A. We included the number of days in operation and the number of users and subtracted some early load testing from the count. The new numbers give a better idea of the amount of spam being directed at - and prevented from reaching - our user base. Using the numbers, we should be able to provide some interesting (to us, anyway) charts/graphs, etc.

Q. I want to put my email address in a public place in the hopes that real people I don't know will email me, but I don't want to get picked up by spambots. Can you help?
A. You could provide a disposable address with a high number (like 20) -- that should give real people enough tries at reaching you before the spambots catch up, and you can reply to the people with your real address, or add their addresses as trusted senders. If you want to receive an indefinite number of messages from unknown real people off your publicly disclosed address, we can't really help. [note: as of June 9, 2001, you could 'refill' your address with more messages in advanced mode if it ran out - that's true for all addresses, even if they're older] However, a very good method we've seen used is to use your real email address with extra characters that make it invalid (like '_nospam_'). Then, in your message, instruct real people to remove the characters if they want to send you email. Spambots are getting smarter all the time, but this one should stump them for awhile yet.

Q. How long can my username be?
A. 20 characters. No dots!

Q. How long can my word and prefix be?
A. 20 characters, each. No dots here, either.

Q. Will a future version let me have a dot in my username?
A. No. You will never be allowed to have a dot in your username. But note that it would be fairly trivial to use a character other than a dot if you wanted to host the service yourself. Write the info contact on the front page if you want the code.

Q. I forgot my password. Can you give it to me?
A. No. As a security measure, and because we really have no business knowing your password, we use one-way encryption to store all passwords. This means we don't have a clue what your password is, either. You can either a) create a new account, or b) email the 'info' contact on the front page. If you convince 'info' of your earnestness, we may be able to reset your password (to something new) for you. If you've also forgotten your username, you can [create a new account! or] email 'info' with your 'real' email address, and we may be able to help.

Q. Is there a way I can view a list of all my disposable addresses?
A. There's a link in the middle of the advanced mode page that will pop up a window with information about your disposables. Note that, in late February, 2001, we began recording the entire email address, rather than just the word and number.

Q. Can I use spamgourmet as my mail server for incoming or outgoing mail?
A. No. Try to put this thought out of your mind.

Q. Can mail that is eaten be recovered?
A. No. It is never even written to disk. For this reason, if it wasn't already obvious, we recommend you only use your spamgourmet address (or any disposable derivative) for non-essential purposes. We vaporize the mail because a) it keeps our cost down and your service free, and, more importantly, b) if we saved it for you, you'd probably come look at it every once in awhile, and then you'd see spam, which is exactly what we're trying to avoid. If this still bugs you, try to think of spamgourmet as not really email, but something like email that is appropriate to use when dealing with entities who refuse to use real email appropriately.

Q. What if I accidentally use a word that I've already used when I'm making a disposable address?
A. There can be only one disposable address for you for each word. If you make up one with the same word (regardless of the number) as a previous address, its messages will count toward the number that was set the first time you used the word (in the previous address). If all the messages of the original have been used, you won't get any mail with your new address.

Q. I think they're on to me - are there any other domains I can use besides spamgourmet.com?
A. Yes - you can use spamgourmet.net, spamgourmet.org, spamcannon.net, antichef.com, antichef.net, neverbox.com, recursor.net, and xoxy.net just as if they were spamgourmet.com. Best to pick one and stick with it, since that will make it easier to remember your disposable addresses if you have to.

Note: and, as of January 3, 2002, you can use a word instead of a number -- the system will use the English alphabetical position of the first letter of the word for the number (see above for details). If do this and use another domain, the addresses get pretty hard to recognize.

Q. How do I report a bug/suggest a feature?
A. Send email to with as many details as you can give. We won't eat your message, we swear.

Q. Will you notify me of new features?
A. Probably not. Sending email to the list of users is just about exactly antithetical to the spamgourmet code of ethics. If enough users demand it, we may implement an opt-in option to be notified, but you'll still have to come back and opt in (ughh, the mere mention of the possibility makes my skin crawl...).

Q. Can I have the source code?
A. You sure can! In fact, we have a project on sourceforge that provides free versions of the software that should be easy to deploy, install, and configure in a variety of email service provider environments (sadly, they are not that easy, yet). In the meantime, send an email to the 'info' contact on the main page. Hopefully, you'll want to get involved in the sourceforge project, as well. We need documenters and coders who can help with making our software easy for service providers to deploy, install, configure...

Q. What platform/database/language does the service use?
A. The current configuration uses: perl for the website and mail handler, mysql for the database, sendmail for the mail server, apache for the web server, and linux for the OS. None of these (except possibly perl for the mail handler) is really required, though, and our planned release versions should work on most platforms.

Q. How can I tell all my friends about this amazing service?
A. Copy the following text and email it to everyone in your address book three times. There are widely available scripts for the most popular email programs to help you do this.

-------start-------
Hey sorry to hear about your dog.  Hey I just gotta tell you about this amazing service I found!
It's called spam gourmet, and you can go there by clicking on this link: http://www.spamgourmet.com.
It's truly amazing!  They provide disposable email addresses and spam filtering.  You can
'set it and forget it' or come back once in a while and change your settings.  And best
of all, it's totally free!  OK.  I gotta run -- I have to tell others about this fantastic service I 
found at www.spamgourmet.com!
-------stop--------

[just kidding!! -- actually, please don't do this...]

Q. Do you think Hormel Food Corporation will sue you for using the word 'spam' so profusely?
A. No, at least, hopefully not. Hormel took a very progressive position regarding the use of the word 'spam' to describe unsolicited bulk email and other related Internet phenomena (provided the letters are not capitalized, as we've taken care not to do). Click here to read it. If only other established companies would follow their lead...

Q. Will you sell your list of users and email addresses to spammers?
A. No, we're on the list, too.

Q. What if somebody sues you into nilspace, then dances away with your user and email list?
A. Jeez. OK, let's take a minute and consider the commercial value of our user list. We don't have your name, gender, ZIP code, age, citrus treat preference or anything like that. In fact, the only thing that can be said about you is that you really don't want to receive any unsolicited mail.

Q. Maybe you're right about the commercial appeal of your user and email list. But what if some power-mad spam-dealing vendetta-fixated unsoliciteur sues your pants off, then uses the list to wreak unholy, spamtacular revenge on us shivering spamgourmet users?
A. Suppose you're out of luck, in that case.

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