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Re: [OCLUG-Tech] how does current email protocol support mail receipt verification?

  • Subject: Re: [OCLUG-Tech] how does current email protocol support mail receipt verification?
  • From: "Brenda J. Butler" <bjb [ at ] sourcerer [ dot ] ca>
  • Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2012 22:42:47 -0500
On Fri, Jan 06, 2012 at 10:28:34PM -0500, Shawn H Corey wrote:
> On 12-01-06 10:12 PM, Brenda J. Butler wrote:
> > The email protocol does not include any way to check if the
> > email has been read.
> >
> > People have used other tricks to tell if the email has been opened.
> > One is the "include a link and if the person clicks on it, the
> > email has been read".
> >
> > Another is the "include a picture and if that picture is downloaded,
> > the picture has been read".
> 
> Won't work. I have a filter on my email that checks to see if you're on 
> my black list, and if so, sends it directly to trash and marks it read. 
> I never see it.

This "marks it read" feature is for you to know which emails you have
read.  It is not for the sender to know whether you have read their
message.  That is a separate feature, implemented differently.

My mail reader can also tell me which mails I have read, and which ones
I haven't.  My mail reader is mutt, the plain-text one that won't
follow links or download images automatically.

bjb