Measures to stop email address harvesting

Note: Thank to all participants on the web-support mailing list for their suggestions

• Javascript based address (probably safe)

  Example 1:
  Contact XXXXX by emailing
  View Source to see the code.

  Example 2 with preset subject:
  Contact XXXXX by emailing

  Example 3 without subject:
  Contact Name Surname by emailing

• Simple addressing (compromised)

  Best not to use the MAILTO command as for a robot it would be easiest to check a file for mailto and then collect the string following the command. Enter you address as plain text and replace @ with the corresponding code @ (without the space & # 64 ;)
  Example: surname@domain.com reads the same as surname@domain.com (but the robot will see surname@domain.com, not too difficult to crack).

• Some more complex solutions.
  • use javascript to determine if it's a bot or a real user looking at the page. if it's a real user, have javascript print out the email address on screen, otherwise put a blank line in or something (although bots might still be able to pick up the email address if it's anywhere in the source code...maybe have it generate the address by combining bits that - on their own - don't look like addresses at all)
  • similar to e), but use PHP/ASP/JSP/Perl/Whatever to determine if it's bot or user before displaying the page and process it on the server side accordingly (leave or strip any email addresses from the code)
  • have email addresses as graphics (but don't put them as clickable links) (could break accessibility legislation).
• Links.
  • Poison http://www.monkeys.com/wpoison/
  • Junkbusters http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/harvesting.html
  • For APACHE administrators 1
  • For APACHE administrators 2

  Back to web wizards.