IP: some more Verizon

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 07:38:50 -0500
> To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
> From: Manny Farber <manny () manny com>
> Subject: some more Verizon
>
> I don't even see why ISPs need only relay e-mail from their own IP addresses--
> they can require POP (?) authentication before sending mail.
>
> Here's some more information about their implementation of Verizon's
> implementation of their ridiculous SMTP policy.
>
> First off, they instituted it two days earlier than they announced that 
> they would.
> If anything, they probably should have given their customers two days grace.
>
> Secondly, although they won't relay e-mail tagged as from the real e-mail
> address I use (manny () manny com), for me they'll still relay e-mail tagged 
> as from,
> among other things:
>
> techsupport () bellatlantic net
> postmaster () bellatlantic net
> (any BellAtlantic DSL customer--I tried myself and a friend)
>
> Presumably ditto for @verizon.net on the above.
>
> It is still possible to set the "Reply-To" field.
> So theoretically it would be possible to:
>
> (1) Send spam using other BellAtlantic customer's userids. If you're 
> interested,
> you could still receive replies to the spam, at whatever e-mail address 
> you wish.
>
> (2) Send obnoxious e-mail purportedly from techsupport () bellatlantic net to
> BellAtlantic customers, and have the replies go back to BellAtlantic
> techsupport. Oh wait, why bother: BellAtlantic apparently does that anyway.
>
> However, the following are not possible:
>
> (1) You get spam from one of those many lists popping up that purport to 
> be "opt-in".
> To unsubscribe, you probably have to send an e-mail from the address to 
> which it
> was sent. This is no longer possible!
>
> (2) Ditto for legitimate lists.
>
> And the dumb thing is that no sooner does Verizon improve the reliability 
> of their DSL
> service to acceptable standards than they come up with this unacceptable 
> SMTP policy.
> I think it would be a neat stunt for a Verizon competitor to set up a mail 
> server for use by
> disfranchised Verizon customers. They could allow mail relaying only from 
> Verizon
> DSL IP addresses and add a Yahoo!-style, one-line advertisement at the bottom.
>
> Manny



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