---
title: "Breaking: #90044 - config.spamProtectEmailAddresses with option \"ascii\" removed"
manual: "TYPO3 Core Changelog"
version: "main"
permalink: "https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/changelog:breaking-90044"
source: "Changelog/12.0/Breaking-90044-ConfigspamProtectEmailAddressesWithOptionAsciiRemoved.rst"
typo3-version: "12.0"
typo3-major: 12
type: "breaking"
issue: 90044
forge: "https://forge.typo3.org/issues/90044"
tags: ["Frontend", "TypoScript", "NotScanned", "ext:frontend"]
rendered: "2026-10-08T12:25:00+00:00"
---

# Breaking: #90044 - config.spamProtectEmailAddresses with option "ascii" removed {#breaking-90044}

See [forge#90044](https://forge.typo3.org/issues/90044)

## Description {#description}

The TypoScript setting `config.spamProtectEmailAddresses` set to `ascii` has no
effect anymore as the ASCII-encryption feature has been removed.

The option changed any links to emails like `href="mailto:benni@example.com"`
to point to the ASCII-encoded equivalent. Since all browsers (and most bots/crawlers)
do this automatically and instantly this feature has no spam-protection
relevance anymore.

## Impact {#impact}

Setting the option to `ascii` has no effect anymore, which is the same as not
setting the option at all. However, in case the option is set to `ascii` a
PHP `E_USER_DEPRECATED` error is raised.

## Affected Installations {#affected-installations}

TYPO3 installations having this option set in their TypoScript setup.

## Migration {#migration}

In case you still want to keep an email SPAM protection around, it is recommended
to set the option `config.spamProtectEmailAddresses` to a numeric value between
`-10` and `10`.

Alternatively, there is an extension called `emailobfuscator` available in the
TYPO3 Extension Repository, which also aims to achieve a similar behaviour.