Re: [Asrg] Adding a spam button to MUAs

Ian Eiloart <iane@sussex.ac.uk> Mon, 08 February 2010 14:37 UTC

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Date: Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:38:05 +0000
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Subject: Re: [Asrg] Adding a spam button to MUAs
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--On 8 February 2010 07:49:26 -0500 Daniel Feenberg <feenberg@nber.org> 
wrote:

>
>
> On Mon, 8 Feb 2010, Ian Eiloart wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> --On 5 February 2010 10:52:51 -0500 Daniel Feenberg <feenberg@nber.org>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Fri, 5 Feb 2010, John Levine wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> This is just a general argument against all role accounts, including
>>> postmaster, abuse, webmaster, etc. It doesn't balance the costs and
>>> benefits, just notes a possible cost as though that was sufficient to
>>> dismiss it.
>>
>> No, the argument is nothing to do with the left hand side of the
>> address,  it's to do with the right hand side of the address.
>> "imap.iecc.com" isn't an  email domain, but it might be one day.
>> "imap.sussex.ac.uk" is not an email  domain, and it never will be.
>>
>> In the case where the imap server host name does happen to be an email
>> domain, there's a potential name space conflict. ARF@... may well
>> already be
>
> "Cnflict, ARF@" is the left hand side of the address. If imap.iecc.com
> becomes an email address, then it would be a mistake to assign a user the
> username of "arf".

Yes, you're confusing the two cases. Either the domain is already an email 
domain (in which case a conflict is possible), or it isn't (in which case 
you're asking for creation of an email domain merely to deliver abuse 
reports). That then becomes a whole new domain without reputation which 
spammers can abuse.

> If a role account is assigned to arf@poporimapserver.example.com then it
> is a problem if that address is already assigned to a user. It isn't a
> problem with no solution, though. Simply make sure that the RHS of the
> address is different from the already assigned address. This is almost
> always going to be the case for large providers, since machines for pop
> and imap service are distinct from email domain names. If they do not, it
> is simple enough to arrange DNS to make that happen, without changing any
> hardware.
>
> Perhaps another character string would lessen the objection on this
> point. The role account could be "arf-submission", although the
> anti-English crowd will complain. There is room for creativity.
>
> Note that when I say "pop_or_imap" it doesn't really have to be
> restricted to those protocols. The MUA can use the hostname for the
> system providing incoming mail, without caring what protocol is actually
> used, nor is there any need for the letters "pop" or "imap" to be requed
> to be in the name. The TO: address ued for the ARF is simply the role
> account on the system providing mail, that will use it to tune content or
> other spam filters.
>
>
> Daniel Feenberg
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> Asrg@irtf.org
> http://www.irtf.org/mailman/listinfo/asrg



-- 
Ian Eiloart
IT Services, University of Sussex
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