Hotmail Uses RBL

from the spam-be-gone dept

Microsoft’s Hotmail has started using the Realtime Blackhole List of open servers that spammers often use to block spam. It is a very drastic move, and I’m not sure it’s the best move, but it might lead to forcing some of those servers to close up their access. I still prefer an approach like Spamcop to an absolute ban. If Hotmail implemented Spamcop’s filtering method, that would probably be a bit fairer.


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Comments on “Hotmail Uses RBL”

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2 Comments
Brian Mobley says:

SPAM?

I’ve been using hotmail for e-mail in the past few weeks. Withing Two hours of starting my new HotMail accout(before I’d had used the account), I had received SPAM from a reputable computer company that I respect.

At that time there were only two people that new my e-mail address (even COULD know my e-mail address), yet I was STILL contacted.

I susspect taht either 1) there is another path into the homail network which is now known, or 2) hotmail is sellling my address, despite thier policy statements.

I’m really wwondering about my (at that time) unused accout and a respectable computer company.

Now, I’ve receveived SPAM before, but not from a computer a

parmeisan says:

Re: SPAM?

I don’t know all that much about this, but from I’ve heard, spammers sometimes send e-mail through another address so it looks like it comes from there, but they really know noting about it. I was actually reading about some people who received junk e-mail that appeared to be from themselves. So perhaps the computer company is not to blame.

Also I don’t know if it means much to either of your theories, but I had hotmail for about 6 months before I received a single spam message. Then one day I just started getting them and now I get about 5 a day. (not much compared to what some people get, but it went from 0 to 5 a day in a day!)
I guess I think that must mean hotmail sells the address because all the spam companies couldn’t have found that path on the same day unless they were told about it.

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