Re: Restricting the list

[[e-mail]]

I wonder if there would be any gain from having the list software
attempt to verify the return address on mail from unsubscribed people?
It seems that most of the junk has unreplyable return addresses.

Perhaps mail that wasn't from a subscriber, and which had a return
address that couldn't be verified would be routed to the moderator,
possibly after a period of retrying the VRFY?

And of course there is the question of what is the "return address" --
the MAIL FROM, or the FROM or SENDER or REPLY-TO?  I'd suggest that if
any of them can be verified, the mail should be accepted.  Or just use
MAIL FROM.

Sure, spammers can just pick addresses of innocent people and use them,
but a lot of the spam could be cut out, perhaps.

Also, it might be possible to make an attempt at confirming that the
claimed return path is the actual origin, by looking at the early
RECEIVED headers.

In that case, we'd have:

   1. From subscriber?  If so, accept it.
   2. MAIL FROM verifiable and confirmed by first RECEIVED header?  If
      so, accept it.
   3. Punt to moderator.

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|Randall Gellens                                  [e-mail]|
|Opinions are personal;  facts are suspect;   I speak only for myself|