[Asrg] FeedBack loops

[Ian Eiloart]

--On 12 November 2008 11:16:01 -0800 SM <sm at resistor.net> wrote:

> At 10:00 12-11-2008, J.D. Falk wrote:
>> If a statistically valid sample of an ISP's users (as processed by their
>> own user reputation systems) think something is spam, why would that ISP
>> disagree?
>
> That's an interesting question.
>
>> I know it's a big shift in thinking from the classic anti-spammer
>> attitude, particularly the pornography test (I know it when I see it.)
>> But, it's a shift that all of the big ISPs have already made: they'll
>> listen to their users before they'll listen to random external parties.
>
> The pornography test is a way to avoid having to deal with the end-user's
> definition of spam.  I'm going to give an example based on your first
> question.  I'm subscribed to this mailing list.  Due to the high volume
> of list traffic, I no longer want to receive the emails.  I click on a
> button in my MUA to report the email as spam (it's unwanted).  A feedback
> report is sent to the mailing list owner with all user identifiers
> removed.  There are ways around that but let's not get into that.  How
> does the mailing list owner deal with the problem?

Some email service providers offer one-click spam reporting, with a 
mechanism that the user only has to learn once.

List owners need to make it as easy to unsubscribe as to report the spam, 
or at least try to make it as easy as possible.

For example, a prominent one-click unsubscribe link that isn't hidden in 
the message headers.

List-Unsubscribe: headers will only be helpful when the major email 
clients, and major webmail providers expose them in their interfaces. And 
the the address in the header should encode the subscribed email address, 
so that it can be used even after the message has been forwarded to another 
address.

It's a legal requirement in the UK that unsolicited marketing messages 
(which here include messages promoting the aims of non-profit 
organisations, perhaps including ASRG) should include a simple method of 
unsubscribing. I'd argue that this list doesn't, even though an address is 
provided in the footer, it isn't described as an unsubscription address.


-- 
Ian Eiloart
IT Services, University of Sussex
x3148