Re: SMTP RFC: "MUST NOT" change or delete Received header

[Hector Santos <[e-mail]>]

On 3/29/2014 9:02 PM, Christian Huitema wrote:

> There is a strong case that the "SMTP submission" information should
>be removed from the trace fields for privacy reasons.

We need to remind ourselves that, as a society, we have already 
exposed "Caller ID" information for the originating contact.  So this 
engineering mindset is set.

But we have made it optional (via a phone).  So I would rephrase your 
suggestion that there is a strong case to allow operators the option 
to remove it or add it by default, however, I would suggest it 
SHOULD|MUST always be recorded, like in a log.

It may be none of my business to know what your IP address is, but it 
maybe also be none of my business to know:

  -- your MAILER?, reader/writer software?
  -- how many machines in your network?
  -- that you have anti-spam, security activity going on
     between HOP x and HOP y?

That spam scoring stuff can leave one with a major complex!

The only time any of this is needed is when there is a tech support 
issue.  In my opinion, communications reliability has improved over 
the years where the overhead items are less necessary.  However, when 
the need does arise, you want the information.

So do we turn it off?  Perhaps not, the software would evolved where 
it would be recorded -- somewhere, but maybe not further distributed 
downlink.

Consider, between all communication devices, hosting systems, we only 
really need the common denominator headers:

    From:
    To:
    Subject:
    Date:

plus body and not much more.  The popularity of texting in general 
illustrates that simplicity works.


-- 
HLS