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This. And the effectiveness of targeted phishing is why we must replace SMTP-based email, and eventually block SMTP on public networks. It isn't suited to the 21st Century Internet.

Hence, the mnm project[1] (open source client & server) and TMTP[2][3].

[1] https://mnmnotmail.org

[2] https://github.com/networkimprov/mnm/blob/master/Protocol.md

[3] https://mnmnotmail.org/rationale.html

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Hmm, the value proposition of MNM here (in preventing phishing) seems to derive from the design goal of not allowing arbitrary content on first contact between arbitrary users, or do I misunderstand?

This strikes me as a cure worse than the disease. There’s a strong social need for people—especially those who are public figures or soliciting job offers—to be reachable by “never before seen” contacts.

There’s also a strong social need to allow people to send emails from self-provided (I.e. unverified) names or identities, given the currently burdensome process of getting “verified”.

I think you could argue that there’s an opportunity to move business email to “real ID”-verified identities (e.g. with SMIME), but I struggle to see how that’s a problem with SMTP or how replacing the protocol will help there.

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