[RndTbl] blocklists (was: Grey-listing in effect on MUUG server)

[John Lange]

On Fri, 2006-11-17 at 14:26 -0600, Tim Lavoie wrote:
> There are a couple of steps which ISPs can do to minimize spam, and
> therefore the effects of the related blocking on their users.

[...]

> The end result of this multi-level defense is that an entire ISP has
> reduced the chance that its IP range is going to be clobbered by
> blocklists.

I think this makes my point. You and your ISP have to do a lot of work
and spend a lot of money (a great deal of it on 3rd party software) just
to keep yourself (a non-spammer) off the various bock lists.

> Good for the customer, good for the company. As a customer, I can be
> reasonably assured that my out-bound email won't be blocked,

But why should you ever be get blocked in the first place? Unless you
are actually spamming you get caught up in this through no fault of your
own and god help you if you or your ISP ends up on a block list.

>  or if
> something happens, won't stay blocked for long.

Again you are going to have to do a LOT of work to get yourself removed
from these block lists. There are probably dozens of them and it will
take weeks and weeks of effort.

And if your email address ever gets hijacked for use in a FROM line you
will never get off the black lists.

>  I'm sure other
> companies do the same, but obviously many don't.

Again, many many more legitimate emails blocked for no good reason.

And not to open up a whole new can of worms but blocklists are wide open
for abuse. Who owns them? Who decides who is on or off the list? There
are examples of web site blocking software filtering out legitimate
sites for political/religious reasons and email blocking is subject to
the same potential for abuse.

I think the intention and the concept of block lists are laudable but
unfortunately in practical terms there is just too much collateral
damage for very little gain.

John