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Administrative Overheads Arising from UCE

  • From: (G.W. Mills Beebit)
  • Date: Mon, 15 Feb 1999 18:05:28 GMT
  • Organization: European Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email
  • Reply-to:

As we gather material to present to Parliamentary committees, etc. there
are a few issues which ought to be clarified.  Among them, just what are
the overheads associated with what is sometimes known as a "massmail"
incident?  

Scenario 1 - Correct from:, using ISP's own mailserver
  Mailserver (over)loaded - maybe beyond capacity
  Bounces returned to sender
  Complaints to from: delivered to sender
  Complaints to admin

Scenario 2 - Forged (but deliverable) from:, using any mailserver
  Mailserver (over)loaded
  Bounces returned to from:
  Complaints to from: delivered
  Complaints to admin?? admin of from: domain has little to say, admin of 
    originating IP can handle, admin of open relay likewise

Scenario 3 - Forged (non-deliverable) from:, using any mailserver
  Mailserver (over)loaded
  Bounces bounced - to admin of mailserver
  Complaints to from: bounced
  Complaints to admin?? admin of from: domain has little to say, admin of
    originating IP can handle, admin of open relay likewise


Scenario 4 - Forged (non-deliverable) from:, direct-to-MX (RFMS or similar)
  Load confined to recipients' ISPs' mailservers
  Bounces bounced - to admins of destination mailservers
  Complaints to from: bounced
  Complaints to admin?? admin of from: domain has little to say, admin of
    originating IP can handle.

What have I left out?

A comment was made that UCE represented a danger to networks mainly as a
result of the complaints about it...  What if TOS/AUP were amended to allow
UBE but to forbid complaints?  

[Me, I would expect a flood of UBE, *bad* relations between ISPs and their
own customers, perpetually-increasing subscriptions, chronically flooded
mailboxes, and, and, and...  Expecting anything else results from a
misunderstanding of the issue and a failure of imagination.  Alas, we have
have to cope with the results of both on the part of legislators and
ministers.]

ISPs who fail to "rein in" their most obnoxious customers are currently
subjected to peer pressure.  Most times it is gentle persuasion, some times
via blocking (MAPS RBL, ORBS, individual blocks and filters).  There could,
however, be legislative moves to impose "common carrier" obligations on
ISPs, which would be the other side of the coin by which ISPs are not
liable for material stored or transported on their networks, as long as
certain conditions are fulfilled.

What say ye all?

George W. Mills (Beebit)  EuroCAUCE
-- 
Confucius say, 
"Great man does what is moral, small man does only what is profitable."
Do what is moral, help stop junk email, support CAUCE: http://www.cauce.org
and EuroCAUCE: http://www.euro.cauce.org




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