On Sat, 28 Dec 1996, David J N Begley wrote:
The Internet was once a *co-operative* network; whilst the Internet of today is clearly more commercial in nature compared to its academic and research origins, is it really all that much *less* co-operative? I know that I've reached the stage whereby I don't care if I add a whole domain to an email "blacklist" (don't receive any messages from said domain) due to only a few miscreants - it's become far easier to do that, than hit my head against the proverbial brick wall, trying to get ISPs in the U.S. to do something (despite providing all evidence available).
And it can continue to be a co-operative network. But, if you eliminate domains and people based on heresay, or because it's easier, then you yourself are stifling that co-operation. The sites in question have no way to respond (they certainly can't send you email, and they don't even know their on the list now).
Read that some site is not co-operating to deal with troublemakers at the site? No messing about, straight into the email blacklist. It's not always possible for an organisation to provider 100% protection, either for its users or from its users, but at least *co-operating* to do *something* is a sign of willingness - and that has to be good for everyone.
I agree that this will wake up non-cooperative sites. I don't have any problem "blacklisting" a site that has shown that they take no action or even encourage such behavior. However, I'm very much against doing so haphazardly, without notification or a chance to comply. This is what happened to my domain, and we have always acted responsibly (in my opinion) and promptly to rogue users. The problem is you can't really stop the behavior beforehand, without impacting other users. All you can do is publish the customer agreements, get people to agree to them, and then make damn sure you enforce them, so as not to attract the type of people that behave in this manner.
Think about it - we have nothing to lose, and everything to gain by solving the problem ourselves as members of the one global community.
Sure you do. You have the very sense of cooperation that your trying to re-instill in the Internet. I certainly have a far smaller opinion of AOl now (not that it was too high to begin with). I'm certainly less willing to cooperate with them if they have a problem in the future. THEY are the ones that acted irresponsibly. By blacklisting without notification, definition, or ways to come into compliance with a policy you limit my, and others, ability to cooperate.
Cheers..
Ciao. -- Robert A. Pickering Jr. Internet Services Manager Cincinnati Bell Telephone pickerin@fuse.net A Rough Whimper of Insanity (Information Superhighway) PGP key ID: 75CAFF7D 1995/05/09 PGP Fingerprint: B1 63 0C 09 D8 2E 5D 69 BB 61 A2 92 22 37 63 C3