On Thu, 15 Jun 1995, Postmaster wrote:
 
> Hello all,
>
> I forward the following e-mail which I received to you all.  Hope this
> will lighten up your day.  I apologize if this is inappropriate.
 
  An interesting departure, Dustin.  Thanks!  Below reflects my own
personal options/risks/and irresponsible comments and does not speak
to my postmaster duties. (Got to be careful here).
 
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> To Whom It May Concern:
>
>    Below follows an email message received from your network site,
>    evidently by [log in to unmask] who has taken it upon
>    themselves to interfere with my account's email traffic into
>    the internet.
 
  This sounds like serious stuff!  It is sort of like playing with
the Federal Mail.
 
>    This evidently was in regards to a post sent to several pertinent
>    mailing lists, including one I operate here at my own site,
>    regarding a roleplaying game project that has been discussed
>    for the past 6 moths. It was not 'spammed', it was posted to
>    legitimate mailing lists (including persons within my own list)
>    over the past few days.
 
  So you also run a Listserv, perhaps participate in the backbone,
(via the registration your postmaster sent in) and have read the release
notes about the new features including the 'spam detection' features
which have been discussed far longer than the new release has been
available?  Ok...
 
>    I would like you to investigate whoever is running this 'cancelbot'
>    operation and deal with it. Our account is paid for thru a provider
>    and interference with legitimate email posting such of this
>    borders (and may have crossed) into the illegal.
 
  Well, we are running it...don't plan to disable it under threat or
enticement.  It is the best thing since icing on a cake.  I think you may
want to talk to your ISP about this before suggesting that we are
participating in illegal behavior.
 
>    If you support the actions of this personage, please let it be known
>    I have contacted my provider and if necessary will be contacting
>    my lawyer in this matter to deal with the situation if something
>    is not done.
 
  We do indeed support it...  I could probably give you about 25 names
of our Listowners for your lawyers if you like.  We look forward to
hearing what they have to say.  We don't plan on doing anything, and we
certainly hope Lsoft doesn't pull this new feature.  But then again
it isn't Lsoft's responsibilty to suspend it but ours...so we are to
blame here.
 
  Seriously though.  We have also been in the same situation where a
legitimate posting to multiple mailing lists has been detected as a
spam.  Our listowners just forwared what is 'ok'....they have been informed
about the new features and what may happen, and I have had no complaints,
but only positive feedback...or none at all.  The spam detection just
renders the Listowner as 'Editor' for 48 hours.  No big deal here.  And
most seem to think this minor inconvenience is well worth the junk that
usually gets through.  I'm not a listowner, but I suspect they get more
than enough flack from their subscribers for these kinds of posts that
this new feature detects....and forwards to listowners.  I won't turn
it off....even if I knew how to do so globally.  I've waited too
long for it. :-)
 
--Trish
--------
Computing Services
University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada