RE: [cobalt-users] Spam blocking

["Dan Kriwitsky" <list1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> 
> Spam is abusing the ability to e-mail, BUT Blacklisting stops
> innocent peoples ability to use email.

No, it doesn't. It simply blocks their email that is coming from certain
places. They can still use email and they don't have to go to divorce
court to find another provider or smarthost their email. Nobody is
prevented from sending email because of a blacklist.

> 
> And to be truly honest most email programs now come with a mail
> filter and the end-user can chose what he/she wants to receive.

And that requires the recipient to spend money to fight spam. Those
filters also have false positives, and any email caught in that way will
go unread and neither the sender nor the recipient will know they didn't
get the mail. At least with blocking, if the sender's server is properly
set up, they will get a bounce message.

> Surly its their choice anyway.

And it's their choice as to what provider they use and the receiving
network's choice as to who they want to communicate with.

I say all this after having been blocked because my former host was spam
friendly. I left them. It was not an easy task to move. They are no
longer spam friendly after apparently learning the costs of hosting
spammers, but the attitude they displayed at the time made me realize I
needed to move. I had a choice. I could be part of the problem by
staying there and supporting spam, or part of the solution by voting
with my $$. 

-- 
C2003 Dan Kriwitsky

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