Subject: Re: proposal for built-in spam burden & email privacy protection

From: Dean Anderson <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 22:47:40 -0500 (EST)

Here is an example of a grossly mistaken anti-spam measure:  My emails
have contained no "irregular formatting", whatever that means. Usually
formatting checks look for html formatted text with lots of centered text.  
My messages contained none of that.  But it also contained nothing 
irregular, that wouldn't be found in a typical message.

The message below shows that you have to be very, very careful and not
make false assumptions about the content of messages when making anti-spam
checks.  The poor unfortunate user probably has no idea that his email is
being interfered with by his/her IT department.

Luckily, the IETF list is content-free, and so the user missed nothing of
value ;-) ;-)

		--Dean

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 19:24:37 -0500
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked]
Subject: Email quarantined

The following message has not been delivered:

   Message: BA000ba224.00000001.mml
   From:    [email-masked]
   To:      [email-masked]
   Subject: Re: proposal for built-in spam burden & email privacy protection

This is due to automatic rules that have determined that the 
message contains irregular formatting that is often used by
spammers.

If this is a legitimate business related email that you believe 
has been blocked in error, you may contact the intended recipient 
and have them notify the ITS Help Desk.

This message will be retained for ten days.

Please do not reply to this message.