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Re: [Asrg] While I was on vacation, I came up with a proof that it is not possible to build a 100% effective anti spam filter based on content



> I have just returned from a vacation to England with my father, and
> he came up with an idea that is a proof that it is not possible to
> build a 100% effective anti spam filter based on the contents of a
> message.

The conclusion is correct, but the argument you give is not a valid (in
the mathematical sense) proof of it.  As you note, there is no a priori
assurance that your loop will terminate; you certainly haven't given
any rigorous proof of it.

However, I'm certain the conclusion is true, because there are cases
where the _only_ difference between a spam and a ham lies in the domain
of human intent and consent, which are not part of "the contents of a
message" and thus not accessible to your putative filter.

/~\ The ASCII				der Mouse
\ / Ribbon Campaign
 X  Against HTML	       mouse at rodents.montreal.qc.ca
/ \ Email!	     7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39  4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B

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