[ih] deterioration of email (was Re: clever usc creation)

[David Finnigan]

On 29 Jul 2026 1:28 pm, John R. Levine via Internet-history wrote:
> 
> The EU has required instant messaging systems to interconnect, and the
> IETF MIMI working group is developing standard ways for IM systems to
> talk to each other.  It's a hard problem, partly because the existing
> systems weren't designed to interoperate, partly because of, sigh,
> spam.  It's a lot easier to keep spam under control on a closed system
> where you can see who all the users are and block or eject misbehaving
> ones.  If a system has to connect to anyone who asks, you're in the
> same situation as mail and you can expect the same problems.

The same thing that happened to the telephone network in the United 
States. Now anyone can connect anything to the phone network and it's a 
huge mess with lack of accountability.