This is a pretty cool technique to hide web page email addresses from SPAM bots. It requires PHP on the web server and some standard web server settings. In their organization they discovered that the vast majority of email spam was directed at 5% of email accounts — and those same accounts were the ones posted on their web site. So the impact of this technique on SPAM volume could be pretty significant.
In some recent work on an online directory project for the School of Drama we set it up to display email address, but as images instead of as clickable links. It works nicely, but doesn’t have the functionality described here. And it should be possible to integrate it with a WordPress theme…
A List Apart: Articles: Graceful E-Mail Obfuscation
Many web users don’t understand the inevitable consequences of exposing their e-mail address on the web. Experienced web developers and website owners, however do. Thousands of spam bots tirelessly crawl the web to collect e-mail addresses exposed on websites, in blog comments and elsewhere. These addresses end up in databases sold to unsavory marketers, who bombard the owners’s inboxes with unsolicited mail.
My solution would need to defeat spam and be accessible. We work intensely with and for people who have (mostly visual) disabilities. Accessibility is not an optional add-on.
I wanted a transparent and fully automated solution that I can set up once and never worry about again. That’s the only way I can guarantee that all addresses that appear on our website are safe—even the ones that show up in blog comments.
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Randall Rode's online home for thoughts, notes, and experiments with a wide range of technology topics. Visit the about page for info on my recent projects and professional background. I welcome your comments!
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