[Asrg] Whack-a-mole (was Re: The fundamental misconception about paying for mail)

[Steve Atkins]

On Nov 30, 2008, at 10:32 AM, Bart Schaefer wrote:

> On Nov 30, 12:49pm, Rich Kulawiec wrote:
> }
> } I do mean that.  The point I'm trying to make (and may not be making
> } very well) is that there's no way for an external entity, like a  
> server,
> } to programatically tell the difference between (a) a real/non-spam
> } message sent by the former owner of a zombie and (b) a spam  
> message sent
> } by the new owner of the zombie.
>
> The external entity needs to diferentiate to block all the spam from
> the zombie, but it doesn't need to differentiate to report that a
> message (any message) was sent using that former owner's identity.
>
> There already exist systems like DCC that collect statistics on large
> numbers of email messages at recipient servers and report back.  If
> the feedback loop could be completed back to the former owner via some
> external channel, in the way that a monthly statement from the phone
> company lists all the telephone numbers one has called, the former
> owner might have a chance to de-zombie his system.

That's after the fact - which isn't a bad thing, but it's no better than
things that can be done (and is being done) by consumer ISPs at a local
level, without needing feedback loops or any other sort of global
system. (Netflow, layer 3 monitoring, walled gardens, that sort of
thing).

Cheers,
   Steve