[anti-abuse-wg] Abuse-C attributes - required e-mail address contact method.

On Fri, 13 Mar 2015 17:03:25 +0100
Gert Doering <gert at space.net> wrote:
> On Fri, Mar 13, 2015 at 03:18:17PM +0000, Gist, Jonathan wrote:
> > The RIPE policy around the abuse-c attribute requires the presence
> > of an e-mail address, which is asked to be used by subscribers
> > wishing to report abuse incidents. This contact method is resource
> > intensive and Virgin Media would like to propose a change to the
> > policy to remove the requirement for an e-mail address contact
> > field.
> > Virgin Media would like to specify virginmedia.com/netreport (a
> > web-form that feeds an abuse case management system) 
>>
> I would not support such a change, at least not without a *well
> defined* format for such web forms.
> On the reporting side of abuse, it is just way too much work to
> figure out how particular ISPs expect to receive abuse reports,
> offloading half the work of abuse handling to the reporter.
> (I report quite a lot of abuse, but I refuse to do anything but
> e-mail, because it is just too much work for me - it's your
> customers, they are giving *you* money, their abuse should not cost
> *me* extra time).
> Gert Doering

+1 

Certain types of ISP's wish to reduce their costs of flooding the
Internet. If they can force you to have to jump through their website
hoops, they can make it so challenging and difficult to report their
abuse, that it will become impossible.

Just to define an acceptable standard for any such web reporting
system would be an immense challenge in itself.

Email is simply the easiest and most direct way to communicate
and to receive notice of abuse complaints. 

Possibly I may be bold and suggest that virginmedia rather installs 
an email ticketing system and allocates resources to managing their 
abuse complaints than attempting to propose solutions that
are divisive and non productive.

my 2c (we have high inflation so 1c just does not cut it any longer...)

ac