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Re: Stranded postmasters

2009-12-05 15:48:04

Alessandro Vesely wrote:


Ditto.

IETF standards convey the false impression that a matter has been thoroughly analyzed and the protocols described are a definitive solution. Actually, any establishment conveys that false impression. And, today more than yesterday, there is a pervasive feeling that exercising one's own judgment, initiative, and free will is not the best option.

That DKIM deployment draft is avowedly pining for ideas. There is even a figure where all arrows point to an "Identity Assessor". Yet, readers may fail to consider it a call for such objects: piously self-assured about IETF's soundness, they'll be at the mercy of the first one who'll contrive something that can be sold by that name. (I've duped myself like that several times, possibly in the hope to get the task done more quickly than it would take to understand how to do it.)


Well, for me, it is very hard to continue "discussing DKIM" when it fundamentally has a known engineering implementation conflict (unauthorized remailer signatures not supporting ADSP) which not many are interested in fixing. If that is part of what you mean as "stranded" then I'm one of them. :)

Specifically the DKIM deployment guide has one section discussing policy which addresses unauthorized signing threats and another section regarding remailers that effectively ignores the threats that policy attempts to address. Can't have it both ways. I specifically ask to fix the semantics. DKIM supportive Remailers MUST NOT ignore 1st party policy. It is fundamentally inconsistent to have a protocol designed to protect mail integrity and unauthorized signings, yet give have an exemption for remailers.

See http://mipassoc.org/pipermail/ietf-dkim/2009q4/012648.html

--
Sincerely

Hector Santos
http://www.santronics.com

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