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Subject:
From:
Randy Brukardt <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Randy Brukardt <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 28 Mar 2002 17:13:50 -0600
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> What about moderating only submissions from non-subscribers?
> Less work for the list admin and we still have direct posting
> capabilities.

That's exactly what I do with the Ada-Comment and other lists that I
maintain. So far, that has prevented all spam from going out over those
lists.

What I suggest is the following (I just did this for the ARG's mailing list,
because the problems with the ACM mailing list server became intolerable,
and it also is precisely how Ada-Comment is handled).

1) Move the list to another server. I volunteer the AdaIC list server for
that. (That would make the list "[log in to unmask]", which seems entirely
appropriate -- an Ada Advocacy mailing list at an Ada Advocacy web site.)

2) Moderate all messages from non-subscribers and new subscribers. Messages
directly from subscribers are posted directly.

3) Use a challenge/response subscription scheme.

4) Forward (and moderate) all messages posted to the old address.

The main reason for (1) is that the ACM mail server doesn't support a mode
like (2) -- at least, I couldn't find it in the manuals. Plus, some spammers
seem to just hit that server, almost all of the attempts to send spam via
Ada-Comment originate at acm.org; hardly any are directly sent to
[log in to unmask]

I do run spam filters on my mail server, but I use them only for
quarantining, I check all of the messages, and toss 95% of them, and let
through the occasional mistakenly caught one. More work, but we never miss
any good mail that way.

I don't think you can run a mailing list or mail server these days unless
you are prepared to take on the extra work to server the server and fight
spam. otherwise, you will get blacklisted (and rightly so). There is no
excuse for a mailing list spewing spam and viruses as the ACM ones do.

                Randy Brukardt
                Technical Webmaster, Adaic.org

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