| |
The
War
Between
Spammers
and
ISPs/Mail
Services
We
(the
community
of
responsible
online
small
businesses)
understand
that
ISPs
have
to
filter
e-mail
that
we
send
to
our
clients.
Spam
is
overwhelming
them.
Filtering
algorithms
and
anti-spam
software
are
complex,
will
only
get
more
so.
And
the
volume
of
spam
is
in
the
billions.
So
mistakes
are
inevitable.
We
recognize
that
and
we
stand
ready
to
deal
with
the
fact
that
an
ISP
will
occasionally
delete
a
bona
fide
e-mail
that
we
send
to
a
client.
After
all,
we
are
all
partners
in
the
fight
against
spam.
When
you're
dealing
with
billions
of
spam
e-mail,
those
"occasional"
mistakes
amount
to
the
hundreds
of
thousands
of
good
e-mails
that
are
wrongly
blocked
daily.
It's
so
common,
ISPs
and
mail
services
have
a
term
for
it...
"false
positives."
(In
a
war,
it's
called
"collateral
damage"
and
we
are
all
at
war...
against
spammers.)
False
positives
occur
due
to
a
near-infinite
combination
of
reasons,
that
usually
involve
some
combination
of
the
following...
-
filtering
e-mail
is
extremely
complex
and
"false
positives"
are
inevitable,
even
in
the
hands
of
the
most
sophisticated
and
best
intentioned
-
ISPs
can
set
the
tightness
of
the
net
of
the
filter,
resulting
in
a
higher
"false-positive"
rate
--
the
overzealous
ISP
catches
more
tuna,
but
also
catches
more
dolphins
by
mistake
-
honest
marketing
companies
can
become
"accidental
dolphins"
in
a
variety
of
way...
using
words
in
their
e-mails
that
trigger
filters
by
mistake
(ex.,
"income"),
having
affiliates
who
do
something
wrong
without
their
knowledge,
having
too
many
inactive
e-mail
addresses
in
their
list
of
customers,
sabotage
by
unethical
competitors,
etc.,
etc.,
etc.
-
some
filters
are
run
by
unfair,
vigilante
groups
who
are
actually
more
anti-business
than
anti-spam,
and
too
quick
to
"shoot
first
and
never
ask
questions."
Yes, "false positives" are so common that
some
ISPs
and
mail
services
take
it
for
granted.
Worse,
they
take
you
and
us,
and
our
good
will,
for
granted.
If
you
think
about
it,
here's
the
bottom
line...
STEP
1)
You
want
an
e-mail
from
Easy
Home
Business,
whether
due
to
an
order,
subscription,
registration,
or
request
for
support.
STEP
2)
Easy
Home
Business
sends
the
requested
e-mail.
STEP
3)
Your
ISP
or
mail
service
mistakenly
filters
it
out.
STEP
4)
You
do
not
get
the
mail
that
you
want.
Up
to
this
point,
we
all
accept
that
this
may
happen.
After
all,
your
ISP
or
mail
service
is
trying
to
protect
you
from
spam.
So...
As
long
as
you
can
whitelist
yourself
and
receive
the
mail
you
want
(as described on our Whitelisting Page),
there's
no
real
damage
done.
We
all
have
to
put
up
with
some
inconvenience
to
fight
spam,
as
long
as
the
ISPs
are
doing
their
most
to
keep
your
inconvenience
down
to
the
"necessary
minimum."
A
Problem
That
We
Hope
Does
Not
Happen
To
You...
The
ISP
or
Mail
Service
that
Does
Not
"Whitelist"
What
worries
us?
We
worry
about
your
inconvenience.
We
worry
that
you
might
think
that
somehow
we
here
at
Easy
Home
Business
are
at
fault,
especially
if
you
have
trouble
whitelisting
yourself
(for
example,
Hotmail
is
notoriously
ineffective
at
whitelisting,
or
"safelisting"
as
they
call
it).
If
you
do
not
get
our
e-mail,
please
understand...
We
are
NOT
at
fault.
We
are
"false
positives,"
collateral
damage
in
the
war
between
spammers
and
filters.
And
you,
unfortunately,
are
stuck
here
in
the
cross-fire
with
us.
And
like
we
said,
we
can
live
and
deal
with
that.
But
it
may
get
worse...
If
you
have
trouble
whitelisting,
contact
your
ISP
or
mail
service's
help
by
e-mail,
Web
form,
or
best
of
all
directly
by
phone.
But
beware,
ISPs
or
mail
services
who
do
not
or
cannot
whitelist
are
at
a
big
competitive
disadvantage.
Why?
Because
there
are
others
who
will
gladly
accept
your
business.
So...
the
support
staff
at
an
ISP
or
mail
service
who
does
not
whitelist
(and
they
may
not
even
admit
this
to
you)
may
try
to
convince
you
that
somehow
we
are
to
blame
(our
customers
have
told
us
so).
It
is
simply
far
easier
for
them
to
use
the
credibility
of
their
sheer
size
to
blame
us
or
to
say
"it's
at
the
other
end,"
than
it
is
to
admit
they
are
failing
to
deliver
what
their
clients
expect...
the
mail.
If
they
refuse
to
accept
responsibility,
or
if
they
try
to
confuse
you
with
one
of
a
whole
bunch
of
copy-and-paste
excuses,
blame,
or
misdirections,
clear
the
air
of
all
the
smoke
and
mirrors
--
remind
them
of
the
fundamental,
common-sense,
sequence
of
events...
STEP
1)
You
want
an
e-mail
from
Easy
Home
Business,
whether
due
to
an
order,
subscription,
registration,
or
request
for
support.
STEP
2)
Easy
Home
Business
sent
the
requested
e-mail.
STEP
3)
Your
ISP
or
mail
service
filtered
it
out.
STEP
4)
You
did
not
get
the
mail
that
you
wanted.
STEP
5)
And
now,
they
STILL
won't
give
it
to
you,
even
though
you
are
insisting
that
you
want
it,
even
though
you
are
asking
them
to
whitelist
our
domains
(as explained on our Whitelisting Page).
Then
ask
them
what
they
don't
understand
about
where
the
chain
of
events
is
breaking.
We
have
done
our
part
(Step
2).
Even If You're A "Newbie,"
It's
Clear
Where
The
Break
In
The
Chain
Is
Review
the
5
Steps
outlined
above.
It's
so
basic...
At
the
end
of
the
day,
it's
their
"break
in
the
chain"
if
you
are
not
receiving
the
mail.
So
the
sincerest
way
to
show
your
displeasure...
If
you
use
Hotmail
and
they're
giving
you
excuses,
switch
to
Yahoo!
Mail.
If
your
ISP
won't
whitelist,
switch
to
a
responsible
one
that
will.
Ultimately,
war
or
no
war
against
spam,
it
is
the
perceived
DUTY
of
the
ISP
or
mail
service
to
deliver
the
mail.
That
is
the
level
at
which
the
above
sequence
is
breaking
down.
Even
if
they
hide
behind
technical
jargon
of
"smtp
servers"
or
legalistic
small
print
of
"being
private
networks
that
don't
have
to
deliver
the
mail,"
your
answer
is
simple...
"Gee,
that's
a
shame
it
wasn't
clear
in
your
marketing
materials.
I
wouldn't
have
to
waste
my
time
switching
to
a
better
service
that
DOES
enable
me
to
get
the
mail
that
I
want."
And
it
is
as
simple
as
that.
So...
Ask
them,
one
final
time,
to
whitelist
you.
We
are
sending
the
e-mail
to
the
address
you
indicated.
So
it's
up
to
your
ISP
or
mail
service
to
deliver
the
mail.
They
may
claim
not
be
able
to
whitelist
for
one
or
more
reasons...
1)
Your
ISP
will
not
do
it.
They
may
make
up
all
kinds
of
excuses,
or
even
blame
us,
but
the
bottom
line
is
that
they
are
not
delivering
e-mail
that
YOU
want.
Period.
2)
You
can't
get
their
support
group
to
tell
you
how
to
whitelist.
Either
they
don't
answer
you,
or
they
dance
around
the
question,
or
deflect
blame.
3)
They
don't
provide
the
tools
to
whitelist,
or
the
tools
don't
work,
or
it's
simply
technically
impossible
for
them
to
do
it.
For
example,
the
"safe
list"
at
Hotmail
does
not
work
when
you
want
to
permit
an
address
through
their
filter.
Their
shortcomings
have
become
your
problem.
Switch.
4)
Your
ISP
responds
to
a
whitelist
request
BY
TURNING
OFF
THE
SPAM
FILTERS
COMPLETELY.
That's
like
asking
someone
to
put
a
gate
in
the
high
wall
around
your
house
and
the
reply
is...
"Sure,
we'll
just
take
the
ENTIRE
wall
down."
That
is
an
irresponsible
and
self-focused
response
to
a
valid
request
--
it
merely
turfs
the
problem
back
onto
the
customer,
which
is
an
unacceptable
reply.
Do
not
accept
this
poor
proposition.
There
is
only
one
good
reason
not
to
whitelist,
and
that
is
to
block
known
spammers.
We
don't
spam.
We
never
have.
(And
we
would
definitely
want
to
know
of
any
ISP
or
mail
service
or
filtering
provider
who
claims
that
we
do.)
It's
An
Obvious
Bottom
Line...
You
Want
&
Expect
Your
Mail
If
you
cannot
whitelist
Easy
Home
Business,
consider
these
two
inarguable
truisms...
No
matter
what
the
"reason"
may
be
for
not
whitelisting,
it
all
boils
down
to
the
same
thing...
Your
ISP
is
not
fulfilling
your
most
basic
of
expectations.
So
What
To
Do??
1)
Complain
by
sending
an
e-mail
to
"abuse@"
and
"postmaster@"
followed
by
the
domain
of
your
ISP
or
mail
service
(ex.,
if
you
are
using
an
address@hotmail.com,
send
your
complaint
to
abuse@hotmail.com
and
postmaster@hotmail.com).
Mail
to
both
those
addresses
has
an
excellent
chance
of
being
seen
by
at
least
one
person.
This
is
a
sample
e-mail
to
send:
For
this
to
work,
customize
as
follows...
a)
To
field:
Enter
the
domain
of
the
service.
Example:
"abuse@hotmail.com"
(without
the
quotes).
b)
Subject:
Again,
enter
the
domain
of
your
ISP
or
mail
service.
In
the
case
of
our
example,
the
subject
should
say,
"Hotmail,
please
stop
blocking
important
e-mail
that
I
want"
(without
quotes).
c)
cc
field:
If
the
"to"
address
of
"abuse@"
does
not
get
through,
the
"postmaster@"
address
will.
Do
the
same
thing
for
the
postmaster@ENTER-DOMAIN-OF-YOUR-ISP-OR-MAIL-SERVICE
address
d)
Body
of
e-mail:
Customize
the
body
of
the
e-mail.
Add
your
own
story
and
circumstances.
Remind
them
of
the
5
basic
steps
(above),
if
necessary.
Note
the
spots
to
enter
your
first
name
last
name,
and
e-mail
address.
Make
sure
that
you
use
your
e-mail
address
of
the
ISP
or
mail
service
for
extra
weight/consideration,
both
in
the
body
and
in
your
"from"
address.
e)
Proof-read
it
all.
Once
it's
right,
you
are
ready
to
lodge
a
formal
complaint.
f)
Send
it.
You
might
not
get
a
reply,
but
regardless,
it
is
important
to
register
a
complaint
when
a
company
does
not
deliver
the
service
for
which
you
contracted.
What
Else
Can
You
Do?
2)
Use
a
different
e-mail
address,
and
e-mail
your
question
to
us
again,
if
you
are
here
because
you
have
been
having
trouble
receiving
our
support-replies.
(If
you
want
to
use
a
free,
Web-based
address,
Yahoo! Mail receives our e-mail without any problem.)
One
More
Thing
You
Can
Do
To
Register
Displeasure...
3)
Register
a
Complaint
with
the
Filtering
Provider
This
is
the
interesting,
unknown
part
of
the
"world
of
filtering."
Filtering
providers
are
companies
that
provide
filtering
services
for
many
ISPs
and
mail
services.
They
work
behind
the
scenes,
invisibly.
Since
they
provide
the
filtering
for
so
many
ISPs
and
mail
services,
even
Hotmail,
there
is
a
good
chance
that
they
are
involved
if
you
are
having
trouble
whitelisting
Easy
Home
Business.com
domain.
If
you
have
been
affected
by
the
loss
of
e-mail
that
should
not
have
been
filtered
(if
you
use
hotmail.com,
msn.com,
bellsouth.net,
earthlink.net,
usa.net,
verizon.net,
worldnet.att.net,
comcast.net
or
some
other
Brightmail-filtered
ISP/mail
service),
enter
their
contest
by
sending
them
your
"False
Positive
Story"
for
a
chance
to
win
a
digital
camera.
Send them an e-mail like the following one:
|
Hello,
My
name
is
<<ENTER
YOUR
FULL
NAME>>.
I
am
a
customer
of
<<ENTER
NAME
OF
ISP
OR
WEB
HOST>>,
a
company
that
uses
your
e-mail
filtering
services.
Here
is
my
False
Positive
Story:
<<ENTER
YOUR
FALSE-POSITIVE
STORY
HERE.
ONLY
ENTER
A
STORY
IF
YOUR
ISP
OR
MAIL
SERVICE
USES
BRIGHTMAIL
TO
FILTER
(EX.,
HOTMAIL.COM,
MSN.COM,
BELLSOUTH.NET,
EARTHLINK.NET,
USA.NET,
VERIZON.NET,
WORLDNET.ATT.NET,
COMCAST.NET,
OR
IF
YOU
KNOW
THAT
YOUR
PARTICULAR
ISP
USES
THEM).>>
I
do
want
to
receive
www.easy-home-business.com
e-mail.
I
am
also
going
to
be
e-mailing
the
network
administrator
of
my
mail
service,
informing
them
that
I
am
switching
accounts
if
I
cannot
get
it.
Please
reply
to
<<ENTER
YOUR
E-MAIL
ADDRESS
THAT
BRIGHTMAIL
IS
FILTERING>>,
which
is
the
receiving
address
that
incorrectly
filters
out
Easy
Home
Business
e-mail.
Anxiously
awaiting
your
reply,
<<ENTER
YOUR
FULL
NAME>>
|
We
Are
Sincerely
Sorry
For
This
Bother
We
sent
the
mail.
You
want
the
mail.
It
is
your
expectation
to
receive
it,
no
matter
what
they
say.
We
only
ever
send
you
e-mail
that
you
specifically
request
and
expect.
Please
tell
your
mail
service
that
you
understand
that
false-positives
do
occur,
but
it
is
unacceptable
not
to
be
able
to
whitelist.
Then
change
ISPs
or
mail
services.
And
let
them
know
why.
|
