On 18 Sep 1997, Espen Vestre wrote:
Luis Miguel Sequeira <lms@esoterica.pt> writes:
I fail to understand from where these guys get Internet connectivity. It would violate almost any AUP I know of...
Unfortunately, some well-known ISPs, especially Psi.Net and UUNet, but several others also, continue to give these guys internet connectivity. Customers of these providers are starting to discover that they are losing mail connectivity, so let's hope the AUP-ignoring ISP's will lose in the (not too) long run.
If someone could suggest how to identify a spammer *before* they start sending out email, then I am sure every person who has to deal with the spam would be most gratefull, it will save them alot of time and money. When an ISP sells a connection to a company, they have no idea what the customer will use the connection for. Certainly, here at UUNET, our AUP is enforced. But if the spammer just buys another connection, how would we identify them? All the outside world will see is "another UUNET connected spammer", but to us, this is a separate customer. The other unfortunate thing is that the law enforcement agencies will not assist ISP's in tracking down spammers. If the culprit has a dial-up account and dials into a network, you can get all sorts of information on them. But even if the caller is stupid enough not to suppress caller ID (or make the call from a payphone), the phone companies will not release the address that matches the phone number. -- Keith Howell