Re: [taugh.com-johnl] How accountability helps

On Sat, Feb 28, 2004 at 05:07:36PM -0500, John R Levine wrote:
| > If we can get that spam path to use the ISP's domain name in the
| > outbound mail, I really think those ISPs will start clamping down.
| 
| People who run large e-mail systems tell me that there are medium sized
| broadband ISPs right now where 90% or more of the mail passing through
| their outgoing mail relays is spam from hijacked PCs.  They know it, the
| recipient systems know it, their only response has been to buy more mail
| hosts.  Why would they be more likely to solve their problem if the spam
| had their address in the envelope?  Their reputations are mud now.

Because they start getting the bounces and the abuse reports.

Also because with their domain in the return-path, they are technically
indistinguishable from an actual spammer, and they are breaking the law.

| 
| Wow, that's almost 1/100 of 1% of the domains that are used in e-mail.
| If we get .01% adoption per month, we'll have the problem licked in the
| year 3600.  Even if we assume that takeup increases by 50% every two
| months, that's still five years to get to half of the domains which I'd
| say would be a minimum to argue that you can reject the ones that aren't
| listed.  We have to do something sooner than that.
| 

That's true.  What else do you propose we do?