Allan Poindexter wrote:
Matthew> so would you consider as it is my network, that I should
Matthew> not be allowed to impose these 'draconian' methods and
Matthew> perhaps I shouldn't be allowed to censor traffic to and
Matthew> from my networks?
If you want to run a network off in the corner by yourself this is
fine. If you have agreed to participate in the Internet you have an
obligation to deliver your traffic.
In many cases, that is a gross overgeneralization. Do you think anyone really
wanted the Slammer worm, or complained when ISP's blocked it?
I work for a company that is contractually obligated to NOT carry certain
traffic for our clients.
the users got it wrong some small percentage amount of the time. I
was stunned at the arrogance and presumption in that comment. You
can't tell from looking at the contents, source, or destination if
something is spam because none of these things can tell whether the
message was requested or is wanted by the recipient. The recipient is
the only person who can determine these things.
You're right. But... So what?
Perhaps it's because you're seeing things from an academic point of view and
not from a business point of view, but your post mention nothing about
contracts. People generally use DNSBLs without any formal agreement as to
what they should expect. Without any formal agreement, you really can't talk
about "obligations to deliver traffic." In this case, your recourse is to not
use the DNSBL. If you're mailing someone who has a DNSBL, you (as the sender)
have *no* recourse other than to complain to the DNSBL user.
Plus, as I pointed out earlier, some people contract with service providers
to prevent certain traffic from getting to their networks (not just spam,
either).
There are simple solutions to this. They do work in spite of the
moanings of the hand wringers. In the meantime my patience with email
"lost" silently due to blacklists, etc. is growing thin.
You're certainly welcome to encourage others not to use blacklists. Just
understand that you have no right to complain when they decide to continue
using those blacklists.
Having said that, do understand that I don't think DNSBL's are a panacea, nor
are their operators perfect. But in many cases, they can be a useful tool in
the anti-spam arsenal.