Subject: Re: [Asrg] Grouped reply on permissions lists

From: Yakov Shafranovich <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 16:08:57 -0400

At 03:00 PM 6/20/2003 -0500, [email-masked] wrote:

> >> However, you would cut down you spam load significantly if you rejected
> > all mail with "Content-type: text/html" SMTP or MIME entity headers
> > from strangers.
>
> > How can you have it both ways? You either receive email from strangers
>or you don't.
>
>The point is BY DEFAULT to reject unsolicited HTML-burdened E-mail, or 
>mail from untrusted/unknown senders that contains attachments.  By so 
>doing, you will shrink spam byte volume by probably 90% or more.  You'll 
>also eliminate in one fell swoop the GREAT majority of viruses, worms, and 
>trojans.
>
>Plain ASCII text will continue to be delivered as before.
>[..]

My main problem with this and similar proposals is that they assume that a 
consent system is in place that lets users authorize certain people to send 
them email. The problem is that no such system exists and the goal of this 
group is to make such system (see charter). Instead of bickering over a 
specific filtering case, perhaps we should consider the larger question of 
consent systems and how users can express such consent.

The CRI protocol is an example of such consent system where a 
standards-based system is proposed to allows users and receivers verify 
each other's identify. Another example is this mailing list - you must be 
subsribed to the list in order to post - meaning that consent of the list 
administrator is required. More examples and an overall system is needed 
for consent-based communications.

There is also a need to coordinate various spam approaches. For example 
filtering HTML burdened email when combined with C/R or trusted sender 
(e.g. Habeas), needs to behave differently than plain HTML filtering.

The last point is that HTML filtering is not a "silver bullet", it is 
merely a filtering technique. Someone on the list should be gathering these 
techniques together into one document.

Yakov  

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---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2003 18:27:23 -0500

>consent systems and how users can express such consent.

The whole point is that THIS DOESN'T REQUIRE consensus agreement.  It can be 
implemented by a single ISP using technology of their choice.

We could discuss suggested 'best practices' and such, although this sort of 
thing (if designed well) is the sort of thing which will differentiate one ISP's 
services from a competitor.

Gordon Peterson                  http://personal.terabites.com/
1977-2002  Twenty-fifth anniversary year of Local Area Networking!
Support the Anti-SPAM Amendment!  Join at http://www.cauce.org/
12/19/98: Partisan Republicans scornfully ignore the voters they "represent".
12/09/00: the date the Republican Party took down democracy in America.