[thelist] Spam Cop??

[Jeroen Sangers]

Ben Dyer <ben_dyer at imaginuity.com> wrote:
> I don't believe in Spamcop.  In fact, I maintain that blackhole lists
> are a terrible way to fight spam.
>
> You would hardly be the first person to get wrongfully screwed by
> them.  Here's some reference:
>
> <http://www.politechbot.com/p-03734.html>
> <http://www.politechbot.com/p-04121.html>
> <http://www.politechbot.com/p-04129.html>
> <http://www.politechbot.com/p-04259.html>
>
> Anyways, the jist of a lot of that is that many blackhole lists block
> entire blocks of IP address and sometimes entire hosts.  Often times,
> the
> IP address of a spammer reverts back to the host who resells it to
> someone else, but the blackhole list never gets updated.  Sometimes,
> it's nothing you did, but your host happens to have lots of spammers
> (see UUNet).
>
> Also, many times, people will forget they sign up for a mailing list
> and then when something comes in, they incorrectly submit it as spam.
>
> Basically, blackhole lists are a permanently flawed method of
> fighting spam as they are reliant on too many human factors.
>
> I say, if you continue to have problems with them, file a complaint
> with your state's Attorney General's office.  Legal action was the
> only way to finally thwart ORBS...
>
> --Ben

I agree completely with you that blacklists have a problem because of false
positives. That is why SpamCop warns you not to use their list in a
production environment. Furthermore, IF you decide to use their list, they
advice you to tag the messages instead of blocking them. The SpamCop list
does not maintain a history; if there are no reports coming in anymore, your
IP address will automatically be delisted. Only if many people keep on
reporting your server you will stay on the SpamCop list, but if this is the
case you should review your servers.

It is indeed true that if your hosting company hosts a lot of spammers that
some blacklist will list your sites ass well. But think about it: do you
want to be hosted by a company that supports spammers?????? And if enough
clients are leaving the hosting company because of the spammers, in the end
they will drop the spammers.

And don't forget that the main function of SpamCop is their reporting
service. This makes it easy for users to report to the right person, instead
of the poor soul mentioned in the To: field.


Kind regards,

Jeroen Sangers

www.jeroensangers.com
www.fimcap.org