O/T SPAM

[Victor Odhner]

George Toft wrote:
> ORBL and the like offer services that the
> mail servers can interface to and block
> anyone sending mail that is in that list.

Yes, but again the problem is guilt by
association.  Suppose this:

1. Mark has an account on Earthlink.

2. Earthlink happens to have an open relay somewhere,
   or had it at some point.

3. My primary ISP subscribes to the blackhole list.

OK, so Mark sent messages to me, and it HAPPENED to
pass through the "tainted" node at Earthlink.
My ISP blackholed it, and I never knew.  I would
get occasional complaints that senders' mail to
me was bouncing, but generally I just never knew.

So both parties are being denied a connection
because of Earthlink's configuration error,
combined with the draconian policy of my ISP.

Even worse:

1. I have an account at aztec.asu.edu.  It forwards
   all my messages to my primary address.

2. The ISP at my primary address was blackholing
   open relays.

3. I received some spam at my primary address and
   submitted it to a spam recycler (now defunct).

4. The relay node at aztec.asu.edu got blackholed
   because I asked it to relay my mail!  So then
   I wasn't getting ANY of my forwarded mail.   

It would certainly be legitimate to blackhole an IP
that originates spam.  But if you don't write your
quota of tickets against actual offenders, that
doesn't justify closing the damn road.

I want all my legitimate e-mail.  I give out my
address and expect that it will work.  I'll winnow
out the chaff myself, so please don't protect me.

Vic