I've got nothing at all against EarthLink, its managers, or its general business reputation. On the contrary: it seems an admirable company.

But I've come to dread getting any email with an @earthlink.net return address, and here's why: If I go to the bother of hitting Ctl-R (in Outlook) and sending a response, I know that I'll then be put to several rounds of further bother, because of EarthLink's annoying and narcissistic (and optional) "challenge-response" anti-spam system.

I previously complained about this in the Atlantic. The system works by keeping a "white list" of approved email senders. If someone writes in from any non-white address, EarthLink's filter bounces back a note to the effect of, "Who the hell are you?" You then have to fill out forms or interpret cryptic characters to prove you're a real person, not an e-bot, so that your message may be granted a writ of certiorari for consideration by the recipient. After the jump, samples of two such messages I have received in the last hour.

I get a lot of mail from people who write in about articles in the magazine or posts on this site. Mail comes in via the "Email" button you see to your right on this screen. If I write back, I do so from one of my normal email accounts. Very rarely is that address already entered on an EarthLink sender's white list. So the resulting cycle is: you write me on EarthLink; I take the time to write back; then Earthlink sends me an annoying message and asks me to do more work (like decoding the text in the box below, taken from an actual Earthlink challenge screen) before it deigns to disturb the sanctity of your inbox.

Why do I consider this narcissistic? Because it assumes that the other person's time and tranquility are more valuable than mine.