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Spamcop Certified ISPs?


Tommy

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I've been using SpamCop for several years now, and some days it feels good to use the service to complain to ISPs and other days I look at the heaping mound of stinking spam in my box and wonder "Why do I bother?" Especially when my reports go to the same addresses over and over again.

It just occurred to me that SpamCop uses a "stick" approach to limiting spam. Our reports generate complaints to the ISPs but being on the blacklist often causes the ISP's customers to complain about their email being blocked. Some fraction of those blocked customers come here to complain that it's unfair that they, the innocent parties, are made to suffer. They have a contractual arrangement with their ISP, not with SpamCop or the ISPs that are blocking their mail. They feel frustrated and powerless to do anything about it.

How about a "carrot" approach, too? Could there be a "SpamCop-certified" ISP program? That way, when a customer signs up with an ISP, the customer can be assured that if the ISP's IP addresses ever get on a SpamCop blocklist (and/or a "partner" blocklist), the ISP will do everything in their power to shut down the spammer and get off the list list as soon as possible. Maybe there could be a special "innocent party" server for transporting innocent mail while the ISP is resolving the compaint. SpamCop could charge a nominal fee for the use of a special logo, and maybe host a special server that verifies the ISP's inclusion in the program.

Please forgive me if this is a FAQ or has been addressed extensively somewhere -- I don't lurk in the forums much.

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...Looks line an innovative idea to me (rather than something that's been discussed before, at least in the terms you've described).

...My initial thought is that the major drawback is that it is likely to be a signifcant effort to manage such an initiative, far beyond the time available to the current SpamCop staff. Ironport might consider it, though.... ??

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A very interesting idea.

A side note might be to provide a list of ISP's rated by how well they try to control spam, as reflected in both the number of reports made against them, the number of non robot replies to the reports, and the apparent success in controlling spam going though their servers.

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I have thought that it would be a good idea also, but whenever it has come up in the past, the reply (not from spamcop admin who has made no comment) is that it would be too difficult to 'certify' and that spammers would be quick to find a way to get certified.

My answer to that is that there is a hefty fine plus maybe a lengthy stay on the bl for anyone who tries to trick the system. That might hurt white hat ISPs who only get on the bl when they are tricked by a spammer or something fails.

Miss Betsy

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