Yao Ziyuan wrote:
I propose an optional feature for current mail systems. The main idea
is if a message is considered spam, this spam status can be tracked by
the sender (but not sent to him directly, as the From field can be
faked). The message can be re-marked as "not spam" if the sender can
solve a CAPTCHA.
The mailing system described below is equivalent to direct-to-MX
mailing, except for the fact that the message is pre-fetched via
regular SMTP, which may be regarded as a compatibility hack. In
facts, the client connects directly to the recipient's server in
order to formalize the submission.
Direct-to-MX delivery has been discussed previously on this list.
Bill pointed out that funneling email through MSA systems run by
providers had been conceived for the very purpose of authenticating
authors and introduce domain-level accountability. See
http://www.ietf.org/mail-archive/web/asrg/current/msg15593.html
Allowing direct-to-MX delivery is likely to introduce more spam. The
requirement of human interaction would only raise the entry level
for leveraging such opportunity. CAPTCHAs can be solved by low cost
personnel, as it is currently done, e.g., by http://decaptcher.com/
at 0.002 USD per solved CAPTCHA. Although those micro-payments might
be considered similar to e-postage, that money would flow toward the
wrong ranks.
In addition, letting senders monitor whether their messages have
been marked as spam may turn out to be an advantage for those
senders who can tweak their messages until they cannot be discerned.
That's the reason why several servers drop spam rather than
rejecting it.
Finally, if widely adopted, PSR would hinder any form of mass
mailing, even legit.
STEP 1: A is going to send B a message. A's mail client generates a
random code and puts it in a custom field in the outgoing message's
header:
PSR-Code: <random code>
STEP 2: A's mail client sends the message, waits 30 seconds, and then visits:
https://spamstatus.<B's mail domain>/?msgid=<Message-ID>&code=<PSR-Code>
This page displays one of these possible "spam statuses":
* MESSAGE CONSIDERED SPAM. (A CAPTCHA is also presented below.)
* MESSAGE CONSIDERED NOT SPAM.
* PENDING. PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER.
* All other responses mean B's mail system doesn't support this feature.
In the first case, A's mail client will report the status and the
CAPTCHA to A. A can choose to solve the CAPTCHA to prove the message
is not spam.
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