Re: [Asrg] Legal Suggestions ....

["Steven G. Willis" <sgwillis@deepskytech.com>]

On 04/14/2003 at 23:04 it appears waltdnes@waltdnes.org wrote:

>> This is a very good point to consider. At the very least, any blocking
>> systems in place must have a means available for individual users to
>> review what is being blocked and what affect this has on traffic into
>> their email account(s). Without this provision, the variability of
>> the definition of spam will continue to remain a contentious issue
>> with no resolution.
>>...
>  Many people on this list run their own personal SMTPservers.  I don't
>quite feel up to that level.  But I do have an account at an ISP with a
>modified Qmail system that allows end-users to set up filter-config
>files that are parsed and excuted during the SMTP transaction.  This
>allows me to almost totally eradicate inbound spam.
>
>  Consider Joe Sixpack.  Is he going to be able to log in to a shell,
>fire up vim, and edit the filter file ?  This requires knowing about
>DNSbls, rDNS, CIDRs, how to parse headers on received spam, how to use
>whois to find the entire address space of a spamming outfit, etc, etc.
>...

Agreed. We all know that the average user in the world would probably have to stretch to be up to qualifying for the same skills displayed by "grandma" in our "grandma tests" (you know, "if grandma can figure out how to use my software then I did a pretty good job in the UI to simplify this complex issue for my users").

What I would propose instead that the filter systems, and hence the management and reviewing systems, by made simple enough that even the "neo-beginner" user can get thru it and understand to a large extent how things work and how to set it up for their own needs, situations, and preferences.

This I believe would be a much more worthwhile project for us to work towards. It provides a much more user friendly system to handle a somewhat complex task.

With the very nature of transactions on the internet, I verily doubt that there will be a new implementation of SMTP that can address the resources used, and hence abused, by spammers. Without a technical solution to the very nature of internet allowing remote systems to utilize the resources of local networks and systems, we are stuck with providing a solution instead that satisfies the needs of the users as reasonably and simply as possible while still providing us, the technical people, with the information needed to identify, and pursue by whatever means available, the stopping of resource utilization and abuse by the spammers.

Bottom line, spammers have no incentive to stop their operations as the nature of the internet makes it simple for them to continue in their work. And, the cost structure to execute their abuse of many other online resources makes it financially attractive for them to continue indefinitely into the future.

Changng these basic tenants is no small task. So, we must work towards the best solution possible for the resources available, the tasks that must be done to manage (and take action on) the resources, and provide for the needs of our users.

================================================================
Steven G. Willis     sgwillis@deepskytech.com       772.794.9494
Deep Sky Technologies, Inc.          http://www.deepskytech.com/
http://www.badchickens.com/         http://www.store-secure.com/
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