On 13 Aug 2002, Perry E. Metzger wrote: > > Caitlin Bestler <caitlinb@rp.asomi.net> writes: > > My initial minimalist approach is to propose a standard > > whereby the source of an email can be authenticated, > > allowing receivers and relayers the option of rejecting or > > simply segregating email without authenticated sources. > > Thus leading to masses of authenticated spam? Anyone can generate an > RSA key. There are enough primes out there that you can generate one > for each piece of spam and still never run out. :) Authentication is not the same as encryption .... Authenticated just means dialup/cable/dsl users have to use their upstream ISP and login to mail server with username/password (as many do already) and ISPs need a way of authenticating each other. If it is not "robust" as you said, that just means its technical issue that we can work on. > > Attempts to *classify* mail as "unsolicited" will only > > result in years of debate as to which groups are entitled to > > exemptions -- witness the debates on telemarketing rules. > > And yet the laws on junk faxing have, largely, stopped junk faxes. One > of the nice things about laws is that, being interpreted by human > beings, they need not be perfect, just good enough that the intent is > obvious. It'll not work with email the same way. With faxes, there is some cost to sending a fax, i.e. actual phone call and since it involves telephone connection, usually long-distance bell companies would have record of where call originated (i.e. call is authenticated making it possible to track the offender). And also US laws worked for junk faxes because cost of sendin fax from outside of US is too high. But with email, there is no per-transmission cost for bulk mailer and no significant difference in cost for sending from outside of us or inside and not good way of tracking the offender. Thus having law against spam in US (which is good idea and will help - no doubt) will not in my opinion significantly decrease spam. -- William Leibzon Elan Communications Inc.