Email Masker

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This signed Applet will produce *.png files (variable transparency background image files similar to *.gifs, but smaller) that contain your email address. When you post them on your website, it is harder for spammer to harvest them. It will let you make transparent a graphic email icon like this:  ⇐ png graphic icon, not text.

You need Java to run the Masker applet.

If the above Email masker signed Java Applet does not work…

1. This signed Java Applet needs Java 1.4 or later, version 1.4.2_17 or later recommended, ideally 1.6.0_06 and a recent browser.
2. You should see an Applet above looking much like the screenshot. If you don’t, the following should help you get it working:
3. If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer, try another browser. Seriously. Microsoft has taken great pains, over and over, to screw up Java and every other mult-platform standardisation.
4. If you are using Internet Explorer 7, you must allow blocked content permission for Active X to run. This also gives permission to Java to run. Click the Information bar, and then click Allow blocked content. Unfortunately, this also allows dangerous ActiveX code to run. However, you must do this in order to get access to perfectly-safe Java Applets running in a sandbox. This is part of Microsoft’s war on Java. Don’t put up with it! Use a different browser.
5. For this Java Applet to work, you must click grant/accept to give it permission to write the generated image files to disk.
6. Optionally, you may permanently install the Canadian Mind Products DSA code-signing certificate so you don’t have to grant each time.
7. If the above Java Applet appears to freeze-up, click Alt-Esc repeatedly to check for any buried permission dialog box.
8. If you have certificate troubles, check the installed certificates and remove or update any obsolete or suspected defective certificates. The only certificate used by this program is mindprodcert2008dsa.
9. To ensure your Java is up to date, check with Wassup.
10. If the above Java Applet does not work, check the Java console for error messages.
11. If the above Applet does not work, you might have better luck with the downloadable version.
12. If you still can’t get the program working click HELP for more detail.
13. If you can’t get the program working after trying the advice above and from the HELP button below, have bugs to report or ideas to improve the program or its documentation, please send me an email at.

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Using the Generated *.png Images

Rendering Email addresses
Effect	How it Renders	HTML needed
mailto text link	Click to email Roedy Green at myid@mydomain.com
linked graphic	Click to email Roedy Green
embedded graphic	email Roedy Green at	Some browsers (i.e. IE) may not render the transparent background of the email address correctly.
embedded graphic on coloured background	email Roedy Green at	Some Some browsers (i.e. IE) may not render the transparent background of the email address correctly.
public posting in a newsgroup	Roedy Green’s email address is posted at: http://mindprod.com/image/mailto/roedy.png	Roedy Green’s email address is posted at: http://mindprod.com/image/mailto/roedy.png

Doctoring

For very old browsers that have no *.png support at all, you can save the images as *.gifs. Doctoring this way will lose the nicely feathered transparency around the letters. The images will look best on a pure white background, unlike the originals that will work on any colour. On the other hand, doctored images are smaller.

undoctored:
doctored:

Notes

• Masker graphics can be read by humans, but it would be more difficult for automation to harvest the name for spam lists. Masker makes the letters slightly fuzzy on purpose to deter automated spam harvesting of the graphics.
• If you don’t like the font, size or colour, download Masker and modify the configuration constants.

Extra security

• Name your *.png file something that gives no hint of the fact it contains an email address.
• Name your *.png file something completely unlike your actual email address.
• Don’t give any clues to your actual email address in the alt parameter. You might instead give a phone number for the blind.
• Don’t put text nearby that hints this is an email address. Just leave it bald with the @ in the graphic as the only clue.
• If you have a programmable webserver, (e.g. a Servlet womb), never post your email address, even with Masker. Instead, make people fill in an HTML FORM to send you the initial contact email.
• Change your email address to a word not found in the dictionary or in Names for Baby. Spammers will try sending to every possible word, given name and surname on a given email host and remember what gets delivered for future mailings.

Nexodyne

Package	Version	Released	Licence	Language	Notes
Masker	1.6	2008-03-11	free	Java	summary / PAD description / screenshot for the current version of Masker. Helps hide email addresses from spam harvesters. download Masker source and compiled class files to run on your own machine as an application or Applet. First install the most recent Java. To install, extract the zip download with Winzip, (or similar unzip utility) into any directory you please, often J:\ — ticking off the “user folder names” option. To run as an application,type: java -jar J:\com\mindprod\masker\masker.jar adjusting as necessary to account for where the jar file is. download ASP PAD XML program description for the current version of Masker. Masker is free. Full source included. You may even include the source code, modified or unmodified in commercial programs that you write and distribute. Non-military use only.

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