ietf-asrg
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [Asrg] 4. Consent Framework - General

2003-08-30 00:55:17
From: "Bart Schaefer" <schaefer(_at_)brasslantern(_dot_)com>

How would Choicelist or a similar scheme handle mailing lists that use
VERPs?  Specifically those where the VERP token is regenerated at every
list delivery and hence differs even for the same recipient?  (I believe
Yahoo! Groups has this behavior, for example, though I haven't checked
recently.)

Just to clarify, were you talking about Variable Envelope Return Paths?
That is a dilema. On the one hand that sort of dynamic address creation has valid uses, but on the other hand that makes it impossible to verify each address (a requirement for creation of a choicelist entry).

In this sort of special case it may be necisary to add a Choicelist header pointing an entry with a wildcard description of the sending addresses that will be used (without a header address based lookup might fail), as well as a mandatory authentication mechanism (without authentication a header would allow anyone to specify unsecured ids). Then there would have to be some sort of proof that the person creating the entry was authorised to use all of those addresses.

I personaly would not want that proof to be anything less than a notarized statement detailing the wild-carding system and signed by the owner of the domain to be used. If there are hundreds or thousands of different VERP senders at a single domain it could get tricky and complicated, but in that case the notarized page could detail an address to use to verify wildcarded sender descriptions.

eg.. sender "string(_dot_)WILD(_dot_)WILD(_at_)example(_dot_)com should be verified by sending an email to string(_at_)example(_dot_)com

So while this is a problem, i don't see it as insurmountable. Automated systems can be created to interpret these addresses, and with verified wildcard descriptions mail of this sort could be protected. The only tough thing would be handling, verifying, and incorporating all the notarized pages into the entry creation system.

I can see it already:
"please select an authorized wildcard type from the list for that domain"

John Fenley

_________________________________________________________________
Get MSN 8 and enjoy automatic e-mail virus protection. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus


_______________________________________________
Asrg mailing list
Asrg(_at_)ietf(_dot_)org
https://www1.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/asrg