FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

The FAQ is a work in progress

Why are you blocking my valid email or my email address?

We are not. We only list IP addresses. Individual emails are not evaluated in this filtering mechanism - only the IP address of the computer actually delivering email (like your ISP's email server, shared web hosting email server or company's email server).

Couldn't we be listed because someone is sending email using our domain or my email address?

Spammers always use other people's email address as the sender. It is irrelevant. The only thing that our daemon evaluates is the IP address connecting to our spam trap domains to deliver the email. It is impossible to forge or "spoof" the IP address.

Who appointed you folks the Internet police?

Nobody. DNSBLs are one of many means of filtering out spam. Ultimately, if our data is unreliable, then it will not be widely used.

Why are you are the only list blocking us?

The implication is that our listing is incorrect due to the absence of a listing elsewhere. Other listings are irrelevant. Server administrators often use several blacklists because of the unique characteristics of each. For that matter, we don't add IP addresses simply because they are included in other lists.

Supose someone “spoofs” my IP address?

An IP address CANNOT be spoofed to send email. Email transfer uses Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). TCP uses negotiated sequence numbers. This ensures that subsequent packets are part of an established connection. In fact replies would go back to the spoofed IP address making an email conversation impossible!

I run a home mail server. I cannot get a static IP address.

We cannot — and will not — remove a dynamic IP address from our dynamic list. There are absolutely no exceptions to this policy. Please use your ISP's mail service.

Of course, we will correct any errors in our dynamic list if a static IP address is incorrectly listed as dynamic.

What about free speech? Aren't you censoring me?

We're not out to limit valid e-mail. All spam filtering mechanisms produce some false positives. For example, an exploited server may be sending out millions of spams. At the same time, users are sending valid email. If you create a filter in your mail client that marks anything with “Viagra” as spam, what happens when Aunt Sylvia lets you know that she is much happier because Uncle Bernie got a prescription?

You are blocking our ISP which has a gazillion users.
You are blocking our valid corporate mail server.
You are blocking IPs of Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Email, etc.
We have 100,000 employees who depend on this mail server

Our spam identification daemon is domain agnostic. Spam is spam. Spam originating from Gmail or Verizon's servers is no better nor worse than any other spam. That said, we make an effort to be reasonable. We try to reduce collateral damage by expediting removal whenever the rate or volume of the spam involved warrants doing so. Moreover, we are more cooperative with providers who cooperate with us.

What is “backscatter?”

Mail servers are expected to reject undesired email such as email destined for a non-existent user or spam. Mis-configured servers sometimes accept email, process it and then bounce it. The problem with that scheme is that spammers use other people's valid email addresses as the sender. Bounces are sent to someone who never transmitted the email in the first place. Wading through a pile of bounces can be more tedious and time consuming than dealing with actual spam. Backscatter is spam!

Users can also reduce backscatter by making sure that out-of-office and vacation replies are limited to known senders.

But shouldn't I get a message when my email cannot be delivered?

Indeed you should! However, that is not backscatter. If you send a message to a user who has, say, moved to a new ISP, the receiving server rejects the email. Then, the server that you sent the email through — for example, your ISP's mail server — will send you a message that your email could not be delivered. The difference is that the error message is generated by your provider and goes to the real sender.

Is your quarantine period trying to punish us?

No. Not at all. Consider it an incentive to lock down servers, fix backscatter, proactively handle abuse and close open relays.

Is there any flexibility with the 30 day quarantine?

Most definitely. We don't want to be unreasonable. We exercise discretion with first-time listees and consider a number of factors.

Why is my email address listed?

It is not listed. We only list IP addresses. Presumably, you sent email through a server that is listed.

Do you use or share information with other blacklists?

No - with one exception. Because of their seriousness, we do publish open relays to the news group news.admin.net-abuse.email. Other lists will often test and add these.

Why didn't you notify us before blocking our IP?

As a practical matter, doing so is nearly impossible. In the alternative, there are numerous methods of creating a daily automatic DNS query to several major block lists.

What is a "harvested" email address?

Spammers use software to scan the Internet for email addresses. Many of our spam traps are created as bait for these activities. These email addresses are never used for any valid purpose. Any email to these addresses is guaranteed to be deliberate spam.

Why is my email address/domain blocked?

It is not. We only list IP addresses.

What happens if someone sends email using my email address?

Nothing and spammers never use their own email address. We are only interested in the IP address of the machine that connected to the computer that received the spam.

Can't the IP address of the machine sending spam be forged or spoofed?

It is impossible. Sometimes spam is sent through proxies. That's why we list the IP addresses of proxies as spam sources.

What is an open relay?

An open relay is a mail server that will relay mail for anyone without requiring a user name and password. While they still exist, they are not nearly as prevalent as they used to be. Novice mail administrators often create open relays because they don't know how to properly configure their server. Eventually, spammers will find it.

We have never sent spam. Why are we listed?

First, you need to know what zone you are listed in. The zone is reflected in the rejection message.

Spam: We have spam from your IP address directed to a spam trap (see our definition of spam). False positives are almost non-existent.

DHCP: Your IP is in a range of dynamic or residential IP addresses. Often, this is the result of generic host names. Some ISPs have mixed ranges which requires us to white list some IP addresses. Another probelm is that we cannot remove IPs with mis-configured DNS. We make every reasonable effort to keep the data as accurate as possible.

Banned Origination Area: Some of our users utilize geographic zones from which they do not wish to receive email such as South Korea and the Peoples Republic of China. The listings cannot be removed unless they are in error.

Once you know what zone you are listed in, our policy is published in our listing and removal criteria.

Can I pay to get removed from your lists?

Nope!

I send bulk email to opt-in subscribers. Why are we listed?

Then you are not sending spam and should not be listed. Please request removal. Before you do, though, you should review the following content, paying particular attention to list maintenance issues: Information for bulk mailers. Furthermore, if you are not using closed loop confirmed opt-in then you do so at your own risk.

Can I see the email that you claim is spam?

Unfortunately not. We are very protective of our contributing domains and cannot do anything that might compromise their anonymity. Usually, we can provide the sender and date.

How do I get our IP removed from your lists?

By submitting the form here. Please provide a valid email address!

How long does it take to get removed?

We try to respond to all removal request within two hours on average. We answer every request with a removal confirmation, questions or the reason that we are not removing the IP address.

How do I/can I follow up on a removal request?

No problem. Use our removal portal. Free registration is required.

My question hasn't been answered.

Please use the contact form.