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Re: [ietf-dkim] what does DKIM do, was draft-ietf-dkim-mailinglists-01 review request

2010-08-10 13:16:46
-----Original Message-----
From: ietf-dkim-bounces(_at_)mipassoc(_dot_)org [mailto:ietf-dkim-
bounces(_at_)mipassoc(_dot_)org] On Behalf Of John R. Levine
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 10:52 AM
To: dcrocker(_at_)bbiw(_dot_)net
Cc: ietf-dkim(_at_)mipassoc(_dot_)org
Subject: Re: [ietf-dkim] what does DKIM do, was draft-ietf-dkim-
mailinglists-01 review request

DKIM is a particular service.  An MLM will typically destroy a DKIM
signature. If destruction doesn't count as "conflict with" then I
don't know
what does.

I can live with Murray's language, but I'm seeing what appear to me to
be
some fairly basic disagreements about what DKIM does.

My understanding is that it's intended to combine a modest integrity
check
of messages in transit with a responsible identity.  That's all it
does.

I don't think we're disagreeing.  The premise of the draft states simply that 
DKIM is a mechanism for attaching a (provable) domain name to a message as a 
means for taking some responsibility for it, and that some common MLM practices 
interfere with the delivery of that payload.  I don't think there's any express 
or implied claim in the document that DKIM does more than that.

But what you're saying seems antithetical to most of the document, which goes 
to some lengths to describe ways that MLMs and DKIM can co-operate better.  So 
should we not bother?

The arguments about the alleged importance of preserving inbound
signatures are silly for a bunch of reasons.  One is three decades of
practice in which nobody has worried about recipients verifying the
identities of list contributors.  (I can't help but note the absence of
S/MIME or PGP signatures on the mail of people who argue otherwise.)

Though I don't claim to be able to predict the future, I can speculate that 
this could become an important thing as domain reputation gets rolled out.  So 
it might not matter now, but it could matter soon.


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