ietf-asrg
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Re: [Asrg] FeedBack loops

2008-11-14 07:06:26


--On 12 November 2008 11:16:01 -0800 SM <sm(_at_)resistor(_dot_)net> wrote:

At 10:00 12-11-2008, J.D. Falk wrote:
If a statistically valid sample of an ISP's users (as processed by their
own user reputation systems) think something is spam, why would that ISP
disagree?

That's an interesting question.

I know it's a big shift in thinking from the classic anti-spammer
attitude, particularly the pornography test (I know it when I see it.)
But, it's a shift that all of the big ISPs have already made: they'll
listen to their users before they'll listen to random external parties.

The pornography test is a way to avoid having to deal with the end-user's
definition of spam.  I'm going to give an example based on your first
question.  I'm subscribed to this mailing list.  Due to the high volume
of list traffic, I no longer want to receive the emails.  I click on a
button in my MUA to report the email as spam (it's unwanted).  A feedback
report is sent to the mailing list owner with all user identifiers
removed.  There are ways around that but let's not get into that.  How
does the mailing list owner deal with the problem?

Some email service providers offer one-click spam reporting, with a mechanism that the user only has to learn once.

List owners need to make it as easy to unsubscribe as to report the spam, or at least try to make it as easy as possible.

For example, a prominent one-click unsubscribe link that isn't hidden in the message headers.

List-Unsubscribe: headers will only be helpful when the major email clients, and major webmail providers expose them in their interfaces. And the the address in the header should encode the subscribed email address, so that it can be used even after the message has been forwarded to another address.

It's a legal requirement in the UK that unsolicited marketing messages (which here include messages promoting the aims of non-profit organisations, perhaps including ASRG) should include a simple method of unsubscribing. I'd argue that this list doesn't, even though an address is provided in the footer, it isn't described as an unsubscription address.


--
Ian Eiloart
IT Services, University of Sussex
x3148
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