AOL now rejecting mail from Comcast residential IPs.

[Jeff Kinz]

On Mon, Mar 31, 2003 at 01:02:33PM -0500, Jason Stephenson wrote:
> Jeff Kinz wrote:
> > No they don't have to.  They decided to based on costs.
> > They can dynamically block individual IP's
> 
> Look, if an IP is on a "dialup list." That implies it will change every 
I've had my "dynamic" IP for six months so far.  I'm not part of a dialup
block.

> > If I were in their shoes I would use a Bayesian filtering system 
> > that would automatically block individual IP's that are spamming.
> 
> We did that. CoE at U.K. runs SpamAssassin or did when I left in July. 
> What the filters don't catch are undeliverable messages, which are 
> usually but not always spam.

SpamAssasin runs way too slowly to be worthwhile. But they have added Bayesian
filtering too it and I expect that soon they will remove the other tecnologies
from the package and realu on Bayesian techniques alone.
> 
> > Only if you believe it is OK to damage (even slightly) innocent parties.
> 
> You aren't being damaged. You can still send them mail. 
No I can't.  I will have to change my system to do so. This is an expense of
time and a risk due to system config changes (yes its only a small hit
but the amount of the damage is not the issue)

> (You're starting 
> to remind me of my two-year-old daughter when she can't have a cookie 
> because she has to eat her lunch first.)

hmm - would it be OK for a 52 year old to have a cookie before they eat their
lunch?  I think you're just trying to be demeaning.

> 
> >>You do have choices. You can switch to DSL with an ISP who will allow 
> >>you to run servers, and whose IPs are not on a blaclist or a dialup 
My ISp is not on a black list and I'm not on a dialup.

I'm not running a server.  If it makes you happy I'll even find and MTA
that only runs when I send mail out.
> 
> Sure, you can sue, but you'd lose. AOL has no obligation to you, none 
> whatsoever. They are not a common carrier nor a public utility, neither 
> is the Internet as a whole.
Actually a class action suit would work if ebough people could be found to
participate in it.  My neihbor has no obligation to me either but if he
causes me harm in anyway I can ask for compansation.


> > Yikes - my undeliverable mail goes right to /dev/null, after appropriate
> > filtering.  
> > (a script automatically adds those individual IP's to my firewall)
> 
> If AOL did this, then it would not help your situation if your IP is 
> truly dynamic. Billy Bob gets the IP on Tuesday, spams AOL and that IP 
> gets blocked. On Wednesday, you can't send mail to AOL because the IP 
> address is blocked.
Just tell me where Billy Bob lives... :-)

> > Asymmetric public key encryption signatures can be used to certify
> > that you did send a given email and can be used to prove you didn't send
> > another one. If PGP cannot do this then another technology should be
> > used.
> 
> Only if you're a good faith actor. It cannot prove that you didn't send 
> a message that appears to come from you that isn't signed. You can argue 
> that you didn't send it, that it was forged, but you cannot absolutely 
> prove it.
With a new mail protocol ALL mail would have to be signed or it wouldn't 
be transmitted/accepted.


-- 
Jeff Kinz, Open-PC, Emergent Research,  Hudson, MA.  jkinz at kinz.org
copyright 2003.  Use is restricted. Any use is an 
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Don't forget to change your password often.