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15 Nov 2008
posted at: 07:49 :: permanent link to this entry :: 1 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/econospam.trackback 13 Nov 2008
After all the uncomplimentary things I've said about ICANN, in fairness I should acknowledge that they do, finally, seem to have terminated famously sleazy registrar EstDomains, brushing off last ditch attempts by its owner to claim that his conviction for fraud was under appeal and that he wasn't an officer any more. His conviction was nine months ago, and there's well documented evidence of years of involvement in crime ranging from phishing to child porn, but better late than never. I remain interested to see what, if anything, ICANN plans to do about registrar DynamicDolphin, whose owner also has been convicted of a felony. Followup Note: On 24 November, the 281,000 domains registered by EstDomains become available to transfer to any other registrar who wants them. But who'd want a portfolio of domains that are mostly notable for being used for criminal purposes? What if no other registrar wants them? Are they all just deleted? Go into limbo? If they're in limbo, how could a registrant take them out of limbo? Does ICANN have a plan? Stay tuned and in two weeks we'll find out. posted at: 07:36 :: permanent link to this entry :: 1 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/estdead.trackback 08 Nov 2008
posted at: 19:45 :: permanent link to this entry :: 1 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/notreg.trackback 15 Oct 2008
A message on Dave Farber's Interesting People list complained that Comcast was blocking mail forwarded by Dyndns, a popular provider of DNS and related services for small-scale users. ... Wholesale blocking of all mail intended for customers from a particular intermediate distributor, merely because they route it through an external service that adds value.In reponse, I opined: posted at: 05:06 :: permanent link to this entry :: 6 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/fwdspam.trackback 11 Oct 2008
posted at: 19:07 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/chicken.trackback 10 Oct 2008
Podcaster Speaking of Justice talked to me about the Virginia Supreme Court's reversal of the Jeremy Jaynes conviction. Much of it will be familiar if you've read my previous blog entries, but some of it's not so you can listen to it here. posted at: 08:24 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/vainterview.trackback 27 Sep 2008
According to news reports, the governor of Kentucky has filed a suit in state court to seize 141 gambling domain names. His claimed authority is a 1974 law against "gambling devices", on the theory that a domain is a "device", and online gambling is taking money away from in-state horse racing and the lottery. The judge sensibly has said that he doesn't understand all the issues, and has given all sides a week to submit briefs. Two domains, highrollerslounge.com and luckypyramidcasino.com have been reassigned to the state, probably by a registrar who didn't understand the issues either. I have to say that this is a phenomenally bogus case.posted at: 16:58 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/kygamble.trackback 13 Sep 2008
posted at: 18:56 :: permanent link to this entry :: 1 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/jaynesreverse.trackback 10 Aug 2008
posted at: 20:52 :: permanent link to this entry :: 2 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/icannauction.trackback 30 Jul 2008
posted at: 05:49 :: permanent link to this entry :: 3 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/stillsmtp.trackback 08 Jul 2008
A member of one of the mailing lists I read wrote in saying that one of his client's computers was on the CBL, a well known an extremely reliable list of zombie-controlled computers that send spam. He assumed it was due to bounce blowback, and was asking for copies of the messages that caused the listing. Even though the computer in question was a Windows box running Exchange that was also a NAT gateway to a local network, the Exchange logs didn't show anything, and he didn't believe the problem was zombie, He didn't get a lot of sympathy. Late in the conversation, Steven Champeon of hesketh.com, who heads the Enemieslist anti-spam project, sent a fine summary explaining what you do when you show up on the CBL. It's adapted here with his permission.posted at: 23:25 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/champ.trackback
posted at: 00:46 :: permanent link to this entry :: 1 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/notld.trackback 28 Jun 2008
The biggest buzz from the Paris ICANN meeting was that the board
accepted last fall's proposal for a streamlined process to add new TLDs.
A variety of
articles
in the mainstream press, many featuring inflammatory but poorly informed
quotes
(from people who probably
got a phone call saying "We go to press in five minutes, what do you think
about ICANN's plan to add a million new domains?") didn't help.
When can we expect the flood of TLDs?
Don't hold your breath.
posted at: 19:23 :: permanent link to this entry :: 2 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/newtlds.trackback 12 Jun 2008
Any questions? posted at: 05:12 :: permanent link to this entry :: 2 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/simple.trackback 02 Jun 2008
posted at: 00:13 :: permanent link to this entry :: 2 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/fourteenk.trackback 29 May 2008
I've writen several blog entries about the continued downward swirling motion of Tralliance, the company that runs the registry for .TRAVEL. In this month's installment, as told in their quarterly 10-Q SEC filing, they flirt with bankruptcy but may well end up more stable than before. One of the more eye-catching paragraphs says: Based upon the Company's current financial condition, as discussed above, and without the infusion of additional capital, management does not believe that the Company will be able to fund its operations beyond the end of May 2008. posted at: 23:19 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/travelstillnotdead.trackback 18 May 2008
posted at: 23:08 :: permanent link to this entry :: 3 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/affwash.trackback 16 May 2008
posted at: 01:58 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/spamford2.trackback 08 May 2008
posted at: 22:32 :: permanent link to this entry :: 2 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/asisazoogle.trackback 03 May 2008
posted at: 23:49 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/jaynesrehear.trackback
I was interviewed this afternoon on the BBC World Service newshour program, about the 30th anniversary of the first spam. To listen in, visit the program's web site. Click the "Listen again" link and, although it was recorded and broadcast on Saturday the 3rd, it is the Sunday 2000 GMT link. The interview is with Lyse Doucette and starts about at about 13:45 into the hour long program. posted at: 18:20 :: permanent link to this entry :: 2 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/spam30.trackback 30 Apr 2008
posted at: 09:57 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/cololaw.trackback 19 Apr 2008
posted at: 14:38 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/realnotaste.trackback 11 Apr 2008
The judge in E360 vs. Comcast filed his order yesterday, and to put it mildly, he agreed with Comcast. It starts: Plaintiff e360Insight, LLC is a marketer. It refers to itself as an Internet marketing company. Some, perhaps even a majority of people in this country, would call it a spammer.and from E360's viewpoint, goes downhill from there. posted at: 11:52 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/e3comcast4.trackback 06 Apr 2008
A lot of spam uses fake return addresses. So back around 2000 it occurred to someone that if there were a way to validate the return addresses in mail, they could reject the stuff with bad return addresses. A straightforward way to do that is a callout, doing a partial mail transaction to see if the putative sender's mail server accepts mail to that address. This approach was popular for a few years, but due to its combination of ineffectiveness and abusiveness, it's now used only by small mail systems whose managers don't know any better. What's wrong with it?posted at: 17:54 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/callout.trackback 26 Mar 2008
posted at: 09:55 :: permanent link to this entry :: 1 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/e3comcast3.trackback 19 Mar 2008
posted at: 23:35 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/solplead2.trackback 14 Mar 2008
posted at: 23:50 :: permanent link to this entry :: 3 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/solplead.trackback 05 Mar 2008
Back in January, bulk mailer E360 filed a suit against giant cable ISP Comcast. This week Comcast responded with a withering response. (Copies available at spamsuite.com.) Their memorandum of law wastes no time getting down to business: Plaintiff is a spammer who refers to itself as a "internet marketing company," and is in the business of sending email solicitations and advertisements to millions of Internet users, including many of Comcast's subscribers. posted at: 23:28 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/e3comcast2.trackback 03 Mar 2008
posted at: 22:31 :: permanent link to this entry :: 2 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/s2661.trackback 29 Feb 2008
posted at: 23:53 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/jaynesappeal.trackback 27 Feb 2008
posted at: 22:16 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/front2.trackback
posted at: 00:26 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/frontrunsuit.trackback 16 Feb 2008
posted at: 14:06 :: permanent link to this entry :: 1 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/compliant.trackback 15 Feb 2008
Last year I wrote two blog entries on the dire state of Tralliance, owner of the .travel registry, which was bailed out at the last minute by a large loan from the registry's controlling shareholder, Michael Egan. Since then they've taken some decisive steps on the road to irrelevance. Originally, they had strict rules about who was allowed to register, basically only members of a list of well known industry associations. As of December 21, they have new rules that seem to limit registrants to anyone who shows the faintest interest, with a preference to bulk registrations. (If you followed the history of .aero, the deja vú is intense.) In September, they sold their search.travel search engine for about $300K to a company controlled by Egan, stating they needed the cash to stay in business. Then, according to an SEC filing, Labigroup, another company controlled by Egan, has agreed to buy at least 25,000 .travel domains, producing over $250,000 of simulated revenue which looks an awful lot like taking money out of one pocket, waving it around, and then putting it back in one's other pocket, particularly since another SEC filing two weeks ago reveals that current owner theglobe.com is selling Tralliance to yet another LLC owned directly by Egan.posted at: 23:49 :: permanent link to this entry :: 1 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/traveldrain.trackback 06 Feb 2008
posted at: 09:30 :: permanent link to this entry :: 1 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/biztaste.trackback 03 Feb 2008
posted at: 21:32 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/tastebucks.trackback 29 Jan 2008
At last week's meeting, the ICANN board uncharacteristially did something and voted to make their fee of 20 cents per domain-year nonrefundable. They expect this to stop both domain tasting and NSI's frontrunning, which it certainly will. It's not clear when this change will go into effect, but it might be within a month. It's items 5 and 6 in the draft minutes on ICANN's web site. (The ICANN staff uncharacteristically published the minutes soon after the meeting, another refreshing change.) I wonder if Google will now undo their new rule about no ads on domains less than five days old. posted at: 09:28 :: permanent link to this entry :: 2 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./ICANN/notaste.trackback 22 Jan 2008
E360 Insight is a small bulk emailing house near Chicago run by David Linhardt with a chronic spam problem. He gained fame last year due to a meretricious suit against Spamhaus involving strange twists and turns, mostly due to Spamhaus getting some dreadful legal advice. My September blog entry described the current status of this case. Last Tuesday he filed a remarkable suit against giant cable ISP Comcast. I have just read a PDF copy of the complaint (courtesy of spamsuite.com) and each page is more amazing than the last.posted at: 23:04 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/e3comcast.trackback 13 Jan 2008
Well, I read the indictment (available here from Spamhaus.) It's a long litany of criminal behavior, primarily pump and dump stock fraud of a long list of penny stocks from the US and China. Ralsky is described as the "chief executive officer and overall leader" of the scheme, and it goes on to list fifteen others, including "mailer 2", an unindicted co-conspirator in Seattle who is presumably Robert Soloway. The thing that strikes me about this indictment is that although it includes a lot of CAN SPAM charges, everything Ralsky and Co. did was already illegal under conventional fraud and computer tampering laws. Lying about who you are to tout worthless stock is already illegal, hijacking other people's computers is illegal, and collecting the money for fraudulent actions is illegal, too. Sure, they're throwing the book at them for CAN SPAM violations about fraudulent mail headers and domain registrations, but by my reading, they'd have just as strong a case without CAN SPAM, and the conventional charges will be a lot easier to explain to a judge and a jury. So it's a relief that Ralsky, who spent the better part of a decade as the country's highest profile spammer, is finally headed back to jail. (He's been there before, for insurance fraud.) But it's yet another reminder that the US needs effective anti-spam laws, and CAN SPAM isn't one. posted at: 02:38 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/ralsky2.trackback 09 Jan 2008
A recent message in the Risks Digest called Risks of believing what you see on the WayBack Machine (archive.org) claims that: I have now encountered 2 legal cases in 3 months in which a plaintiff saw images on the WayBack Machine (www.archive.org) and believed that they indicated events in the past that never happened. This is a big deal in legal circles, since archive.org is widely used in court cases to show the state of a web site at a given time, which can be critical in, for example, cases where the site shows prior art for a patent or infringing copies of copyrighted material. If the archive entries aren't reliable, all of these cases are thrown into doubt. Needless to say, it would be many defendants' dream come true if courts were to stop accepting archived copies. I have analyzed the material cited in the article and find that the archive is fine, and his claims to the contrary are somewhere between disengenuous and deliberately misleading. Here's why.posted at: 10:00 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./iarchive.trackback 04 Jan 2008
Alan Ralsky, widely believed to be one of the world's most prolific spammers, was indicted by the US Federal government along with ten other people according to a press release the government sent out yesterday. I'll write more on this in a few days after I get back from Japan and have a chance to look at case documents. posted at: 07:21 :: permanent link to this entry :: 0 comments Trackback link is http://weblog.johnlevine.com./Email/ralsky1.trackback |
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