[anti-abuse-wg] Spam FAQs need revision, was 2011-06 New Policy

+1

On 12 Dec 2011, at 09:47, Suresh Ramasubramanian wrote:

> It is a FAQ, not an advocacy portal.
> 
> Simply link to the MAAWG best practices document - there's several
> available for providers, end users etc.
> 
> Tryign to define spam and write faqs on spam ends up as a hair
> splitting discussion, so I'd rather not have it here or reinvent
> multiple of maawg's wheels.
> 
> thank you
> srs
> 
> On Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 4:14 PM, Alessandro Vesely <vesely at tana.it> wrote:
>> All,
>> some of the replies to spam FAQs are bad.
>> 
>> FAQ#1 (What is spam?) looks good enough to me.  So I'd start with
>> FAQ#2 that Leo brought up recently
>> 
>> On 01/Dec/11 16:27, Leo Vegoda wrote:
>>> Hi Tobias, You wrote:
>>> 
>>>> The naive user should use the abuse finder tool which is already
>>>> in place and would run much easier than today
>>> 
>>> I disagree and I support the RIPE NCC's answer in its abuse FAQ:
>>> 
>>> http://www.ripe.net/data-tools/db/faq/faq-hacking-spamming/should-i-just-ignore-spam
>> 
>> I too disagree with Tobias' statement, at least for some values of
>> "naive user".  Nevertheless, that FAQ's answer is bad.  It reads:
>> 
>>   Should I just ignore spam?
>> 
>>   Yes. We recommend that you simply ignore and delete any spam
>>   emails you get. Spam is a universal problem and there is not much
>>   that can be done to stop it. However, if you do want to try to
>>   find out where the spam is originating from you can follow the
>>   steps in FAQ 5.
>> 
>> I propose the following replacement text:
>> 
>>   Should I just ignore spam?
>> 
>>   Your mailbox provider may equip you with some means to report
>>   spam.  If you can conveniently deploy such means using your
>>   preferred email client, please do so.  Otherwise, we recommend
>>   that you simply ignore and delete any spam emails you get.  Your
>>   email client may provide you with filters to do so automatically.
>> 
>>   Spam is a social problem, not a technical one.  Therefore,
>>   technical remedies tend to get rather complicated.  If you are a
>>   mailbox provider or want to learn more about how to find out where
>>   the spam is originating from, you can follow the steps in the FAQ
>>   entry "How can I counter spam?"
>> 
>> Please note that FAQ#5 currently asks "What can I do to stop spam
>> emails?"  Since FAQ entries are not numbered, referring to "FAQ 5" is
>> ambiguous, so I quoted its text, and changed the question while at it.
>>  FAQ#5 needs an even deeper revision, but please let's tackle them one
>> at a time.
>> 
>> Does everyone agree with the replacement text for FAQ#2?
>> 
>>> The overwhelming majority of abuse is perpetrated by skilled
>>> professionals who work hard to hide their tracks. Telling ordinary
>>> Internet users that they have a useful role in identifying abuse
>>> sources and reporting them to the hosting networks is a cruel lie.
>> 
>> Agreed.
>> 
>>> The scale of the problem requires large scale sampling and
>>> statistical analysis rather than individual reports.
>> 
>> In part agreed.  Individual reports are useful because humans can
>> complement automated filters in detecting spam, albeit both make
>> errors.  At any rate, I agree individual reports are to be collected.
>>  That's why I'm proposing to amend that entry.
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Suresh Ramasubramanian (ops.lists at gmail.com)
> 

Mr Michele Neylon
Blacknight Solutions
Hosting & Colocation, Brand Protection
ICANN Accredited Registrar
http://www.blacknight.com/
http://blog.blacknight.com/
http://blacknight.mobi/
http://mneylon.tel
Intl. +353 (0) 59  9183072
US: 213-233-1612 
UK: 0844 484 9361
Locall: 1850 929 929
Direct Dial: +353 (0)59 9183090
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mneylon
-------------------------------
Blacknight Internet Solutions Ltd, Unit 12A,Barrowside Business Park,Sleaty
Road,Graiguecullen,Carlow,Ireland  Company No.: 370845