OK, I apologise for my condescending tone but I still insist that no one can access someones email address if they have selected the option to keep it hidden from view in their profile.
Besides you writing a script there is also plenty of off the shelf software that anyone can buy that will download the whole website and then you can run other scripts which will trawl out users email addresses IF THEY ARE NOT HIDDEN IN THEIR PROFILE.
As in anything in life, if you elect to keep your phone number ex-directory then it is not published anywhere but if you give your number out then it is available to whoever you gave it to to do as they wish. On this website YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE MEMBERS EMAIL LIST! You only have access to the email addresses of those members who have elected NOT to keep their email address hidden! What is you problem with that? Where have we EVER said that HIDDEN email addresses are accessible? Nowhere and that is because they AREN'T. Can you understand that?
If anyone is worried about someone trawling this or any other website for their email address then go into your profile and select the option to keep your email address hidden. That way there is no way that any script can get your email address.
So, THERE IS NO WAY YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS CAN BE HARVESTED BY A SPIDER IF YOU HAVE SELECTED THE OPTION TO KEEP IT HIDDEN IN YOUR PROFILE SETTINGS. Of course peoples email addresses will be susceptible to spam if they make it available just as their home addresses are susceptible to harvesting if their phone numbers are not ex-directory. I can't understand what else all the scaremongering is about?
The other thing is that now many people will want to try that script and will probably bog the server down and generally get up everybody elses noses. Thank you for that... NOT!
Just so it is absolutely clear for even the dimmest wit, IF YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS IS HIDDEN FROM VIEW USING THE OPTION IN YOUR PROFILE THEN IT CANNOT BE HARVESTED!
The origin of this thread was because someone thought that we were selling their email addresses and/or the website was not secure and we explained that that was not the case but you had to try and prove a point which you have not proven. All that has happened is that you have automated a way to get peoples email addresses if they have chosen to make them accessible! Nothing new in that but to do so in public instead of trying to contact us privately with your concers only shows that you are obviously out to create as much chaos for us. It is bad enough dealing with the day to day issues but you obviously need the self gratification of arguing a point that and scareing some people with old news.
Now, can this be dropped or do I have to make it easier to understand?
[ 09 December 2001: Message edited by: Capt PPRuNe ]