Re: "Some Pictures Have Been Blocked.......

From: Tim Slattery (Slattery_T_at_bls.gov)
Date: 03/01/05 

Date: Tue, 01 Mar 2005 16:13:55 -0500

"Jimmy" <JimmyCliff@xemaps.com> wrote:

>...to help prevent the sender from identifying your computer." is at the top
>of my emails from Comcast (and maybe other email?) and I am curious how this
>works.

It's called a "web beacon". There is a link in the email that you
received that instructs your computer to link to an HTTP server and
download a picture. That link can include *anything* the writer wants:
the address to which the email was sent, or a database key with which
the email address can be retrieved. So if your email program uses that
link, it could easily be verifying to a spammer that "this email
address WORKS!!!". 

-- 
Tim Slattery
MS MVP(DTS)
Slattery_T@bls.gov