Better protected but less accessible
22/05/2020
At the origin of the Internet everything was simpler.
The first sites, at the beginning of the Internet era, shared directly accessible information including the contact address, equipped with the "mailto:" link. A simple click on this link opened the mail writing software with the recipient's address pre-filled.
How practical it was !
The "mailto:" exists and still works but it is strongly discouraged to use it, except of course if you want to collect spams. The web is indeed more browsed by robots than humans and diverting the finality of the "mailto:" link is of a disconcerting convenience for a spammer robot.
The "mailto:" link was first replaced by a contact form that had the double advantage of having the opportunity to collect some information and to hinder the spammer robots.
But the spammers have apparently learned to use the contact forms.
We then saw appear reversed Turing tests, supposed to discern humans from robots, under various forms all horrifying and some impassable. The numerunique site had its own, discreet but effective, at least at first.
Despite some subtle improvements and as little disturbing as possible for the real contact requests, the spams reappeared inexorably. A report on the digital platforms enlightened the probable cause: poor wretches are recruited on Internet to solve these barrier tests in exchange for a derisory remuneration.
This is why the access to the contact form of the numerunique site is now accessible to identified users only. It's effective, at least for the moment.
Better protected or more accessible ? This choice requires a delicate arbitration. But an anonymous contact request has little chance to present the slightest interest. It's this consideration that carried the decision for a site better protected but less accessible.