The Register: Anti-spammers turn guns on each other

Jul 20, 2000, 15:30 (3 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Kieren McCarthy)

"The ongoing war between ORBS, Above.net and MAPS has come to light thanks to Alan Cox's widely read diary... Both ORBS and MAPS offer a screening service that cuts out unwanted and unsolicited mail. Above.net is an ISP with two interesting characteristics: one, it is included on ORBS' blacklist of open-relays (which allows spammers to disguise themselves); two, its head, Paul Vixie, runs both Above.net and MAPS."

"Alan Cox's entry for 17 July reads: "Under repeated alleged attacks from Paul Vixie's above.net, ORBS has shut down its services - Paul Vixie who just happens to own MAPS which just happens to have ORBS as a notional competitor were he to go commercial, anyone taking bets he does? Due to the amount of spam I get without ORBS filtering, I'm going to be implementing draconian filtering. Basically if you aren't someone who regularly mails me - tough you'll probably never get a reply now."

"So what we seem to have here is an ISP, with a vested interest in an anti-spam company planning to go commerical, having a go at another, non-commercial anti-spam company."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• Salon: Can spam be canned?(Apr 20, 2000)
• Salon: States Outlaw Spam(Apr 20, 2000)
• ISP-Planet: Can We Win a War on Spam?(Apr 05, 2000)
• NY Times: In Spam Case, Another Defeat for State Internet Laws(Mar 29, 2000)
• sendmail.net: RFC 2505: Anti-Spam Recommendations(Feb 27, 2000)