[governance] Re: Antispam practices

[Patrick Vande Walle]

Vittorio Bertola wrote:

Vittorio,

While I sympathize with the issues you have gone through, I would not
blame the DNSBLs for this. It is a well known fact that a whole lot of
machines on DSL are used as spam/virus proxies. Most users of the
infected machines are unaware their computer has been hijacked. Forcing
connections to go through well maintained and identified SMTP servers
allows to clean up and/or limit the number of outgoing messages in order
to defeat spamming and virus spreading.

There are several workarounds, but this would be OT, so contact me
offline if you wish.

> Practically, these people are suggesting that I should give up the basic
> principle of the Internet, and my right to set up my own servers and
> services at any public IP address,

Not entirely. There are additional constraints. At the very least, your
SMTP server should conform to RFCs. It should have a valid DNS PTR
record bearing your machine's name and not
123.456.789.012-dsl.myisp.com. You cannot achieve that with a dynamic IP.

> where there ever was
> an open discussion and subsequent broad consensus on the correct
> policies for blacklisting and delisting?

On this I agree, there has never been a debate.

> I should have the right not to be blacklisted if I didn't do anything.

Correct. But please complain to your ISP. They should find out and expel
those users who do not conform to their AUP (no spam, no viruses). They
would loose a customer in the process, which is probably why this sort
of pro-active attitude never happens.

> I hope we can have a fruitful discussion on this specific point at the
> next IGF in Athens. And volunteer for that, wholeheartedly.

So do I.

Patrick

BTW: if you are being blacklisted by my server, try
pat.vande-walle at gmail.com as an alternative address.
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