On Fri, 23 Jul 2004, Mark Horn wrote:
> On Fri, Jul 23, 2004 at 01:17:17PM -0400, Stuart D. Gathman wrote:
> >When a TMDA installation replies to forged email, it becomes a spammer
> >just as annoying as stupid virus filters or mailing lists that reply to forged
> >email.
>
> So when an MTA responds to a forged email with a bounce do those programs
> also become spammers? I understand the energy around getting email messages
> that you didn't ask for, but by your definition everything that responds
> to an email message is a spammer.
Everything that responds to a [known] *forged* email is a spammer.
For instance, responding to email which SPF says is forged makes
you a spammer. Responding to the alleged sender of a virus, regardless
of SPF, is spamming.
The thing for all auto-responding tools to keep in mind is, the alleged
sender of any kind of spam or virus is almost certainly an innocent
bystander. Spammers and viruses lie. The spam/virus sender will never
see your reply - it will only annoy an innocent unrelated 3rd party.
By ensuring that emails which fail SPF never get to TMDA (or your virus
checker), you can at least avoid annoying innocent bystander that
publish SPF records (like me).
--
Stuart D. Gathman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Business Management Systems Inc. Phone: 703 591-0911 Fax: 703 591-6154
"Confutatis maledictis, flamis acribus addictis" - background song for
a Microsoft sponsored "Where do you want to go from here?" commercial.
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