[jakejake]

"Thank you for your application, unfortunately the position has been filled."

That doesn't say anything that can be misconstrued as discriminatory hiring.

Sadly as an employer you are sometimes rewarded for being considerate with an argumentative or nasty reply.

[darrenmc]

Can't you just redirect any response to /dev/null? At least that way you have given the candidate an ack and they can move on.

[jakejake]

Interesting idea, it seems a bit harsh! I just ignore any negative response - figuring they are showing their true colors and that I made the right choice.