At 12:03 PM 1/9/2004, Keith Moore wrote...
There's
just one more condition - his mate, though great as mates go, is an anti-
RBL purist. He refuses to use RBLs.
His mate is a wise man. RBLs are a really terrible idea, and they've
caused a lot of valid mail to be rejected.
Not only that, but at least in the U.S., they are illegal per 18 U.S.C. 1030
-Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Computers. That law reads in
part:
"Whoever... knowingly causes the transmission of a program, information, code,
or command, and as a result of such conduct, intentionally causes damage
without authorization, to a protected computer...shall be punished..."
MAPS RBL and DUL and those who participate in it knowingly transmit information
(zone lookups) and commands (SMTP configurations) which causes unauthorized
damage to protected systems.
"[T]he term "protected computer" means a computer... which is used in
interstate or foreign commerce or communications, including a computer located
outside the United States that is used in a manner that affects interstate or
foreign commerce or communication of the United States"
This clearly covers any computer with which the user may send email for
Internet commerce, including eBay and web purchases.
"The term 'damage' means any impairment to the integrity or availability of
data, a program, a system, or information"
Use of the MAPS RBL and DUL clearly impairs the availability and integrity of
the Internet email system and the information transferred using that system.
MAPS RBL and DUL participants are actively participating in illegal denial of
service