Author: Graeme Fowler Date: To: Robin Powell CC: exim-users Subject: Re: [exim] exim.org: Maybe less MAPS?
On 6 Sep 2013, at 08:30, Robin Powell (from phone) <rlpowell@???> wrote: > My primary address got blocked from sending to this list due to being on
> the MAPS RBL.
>
> Here follows my writeup of the ridiculously painful experience I had trying
> to get off that RBL. <snip>
Firstly, this should have been sent to the mailing list help address (which you can find in every list posting in the headers) or the admin address (which is at the foot of all the mailing list webpages). However, as you sent it to the list, I'll reply on the list *but* further discussion should be sent to exim-users-owner@???.
1. In the last few days (weeks, in some cases), it has become reasonably common knowledge within certain sectors of the email/postmaster world that the old MAPS RBL is not what it once was. An increasing number of people are ditching it in favour of less controversial (and potentially more accurate) DNSBLs. Yes, we should probably do that with the mailing list setup too; thanks for telling us.
2. In your write-up, you mention on several occasions "this isn't spam" and "look at the spamassassin score". Unfortunately, SA scores are totally arbitrary and differ from install to install; relying on other system's scores to classify email outside your own controlled/known environment is an exercise in futility. Also unfortunately, if you have a mailing list subscriber who reports all your mailing list mail to a DNSBL service then *they* have classified it as spam, not you - and not the DNSBL. If they say something is spam, then it's spam *to them*. I deal with this all the time at work, especially with AOL and Hotmail/Outlook.com users who seem to use the "Spam" button as a synonym for "delete".
3. It is eminently possible that you have an address subscribed to your list maliciously, which is feeding into a known spamtrap address. Do you permit unconfirmed subscriptions?
I mention the above on the list as they are generally pertinent comments to people running email systems.
