System governing the sending and delivery of electronic mail using an eMstamp

A system and method for governing the sending and receiving of electronic mail, especially unsolicited bulk mail, spam, and mail viruses is described. A data token called an eMstamp, having a monetary value related to a number of imbedded eMstamp credits, is made a part of an outgoing electronic mail message transaction by the outgoing mail server. A mail server receiving mail examines the data of a message related eMstamp and makes rule based decisions to deliver or reject a mail message to the intended recipient mailbox based on the eMstamp data. Mail servers retain counts of incoming and outgoing eMstamp credits and use incoming eMstamp credits to offset credits needed to send mail. Administrators of mail servers having a greater number of outgoing eMstamp credits over incoming credits, will need to purchase eMstamp credits from an issuing agent to facilitate message delivery to other eMstamp enabled mail servers. Administrators of mail servers having a greater number of incoming eMstamp credits over outgoing credits can periodically redeem the excess of eMstamp credits for a monetary amount related to the purchase cost of credits. An intended consequence of the invention is to transfer revenue derived from the sale of eMstamp credits to eMstamp mail servers receiving more mail than is sent and to discourage the indiscriminate sending of electronic mail and self replicating e-mail viruses.