First let me say, that despite the arguments for censorship filtering, the idea that any third party decides what freedom of communication is allowed and point out and Blacklists Americans whether or not it is in a jurisdiction where American law prevails or some dark corner of the world, I never agreed to it. It is a national security issue that billions (around the world) that communicate are subject to monitoring, control and punishment by rogue companies.
Historically we know what blacklisting is capable of. If you don’t, visit a holocaust museum.
In my opinion, these companies are already running from the law of the US, crippling companies (including my own), defaming innocent people, and extorting money and information in the most laissez faire fashion. They are ripping us off and companies like hotmail, gmail, godaddy, aol, etc. are waiving these filchers in for the long haul.
Blacklisting is not an American value. The "known by the company you keep" happens to be my right to select any company I want as an ISP as well as any friend I want in my personal life.
The company I do not "keep" is that of one who blacklists Americans or Shuns them based on blacklists created by those in power or those with money. As Americans we and our companies are allowed many freedoms as long as they do not infringe on another’s freedoms. This is not what blacklisting is about. It is about infringing on others freedoms.
The fact that spammers (which are a petty nuisance at best) are attracted to the least expensive companies means what? These hosting companies are wrong for offering deals? It means we should trample freedom? Post libel against innocent people? Start a society that spies and tells on each other? Maybe put a monopolizing technology in place?
Does a person agreeing to use AOL surrender knowingly their right to free market competition? Did they ever say blacklist law abiding people or that companies and users of certain softwares will be isolated from their businesses, unemployed or unable to send out resumes? No they never said. Americans want freedom to stay in place. We like it unlike other countries that shun and blacklist. Customers never knowingly surrendered their rights to freedom of communication (speech).
If a company blacklists my computer because I do not use a main stream email program (which by the way I do, I use MS Outlook.) how long before it dictates "the company I keep" personally. How long before my friends wonder why I haven’t written them in so long when in fact I have, it is in junk mail or worse silently deleted.
In fact, the company I keep is changing because of monitoring and blacklisting by someone in England, India, Israel or God knows where. (Stress here is on "keep".)
I have deals falling through because clients think I’m lazy or don't care. This happens because they are in a situation of assuming I didn’t keep my word and send what I promised in time even though I did but Godaddy or AOL just up and deleted it because I am on the blacklist. Some customers likely change their mind because the critical close of he deal took too long and the paper work was lost in junk mail.
Pro blacklisting people might say I could just call. I tell you even I felt a bit smothering and desperate because I now have to call after sending each solicited email just to check it arrived. everyone knows in sales this kills deals and AOL makes me do this because the list they are holding has me on it. Why again was that? Because I am not "expected" to be sending emails to anyone.
Worse, people are always looking for the positive and negative of someone they start building trust and business relationship with. How do I explain I'm not really a spammer. How do I explain why Spamhause in England thinks I am not worthy to send email because they “don’t expect” email to come from my IP? It kills deals to explain this defamation and they likely won't believe me because they are just getting to know me.
My reputation gets cheese throw all over it by AOL because Spamhaus thinks my IP is one not to expect email from? Who is AOL to call me Junk and why do they do it? Because of spam or because of power? Why are they using companies hiding behind non US laws? Why is AOL hiding behind their customers and saying they agreed to this?
I did more research on the issue and Spamhaus explanations and legal tauntings. Apparently they claim the PBL is not a blacklist, yet they contradict themselves by showing how to block using their PBL blacklist of IPs. The basis of their blocking on PBL is that IP is not expected to send email. Just as non main stream programs that may send emails differently than their preferences are not expected to send emails as
they do. Poppycock! Of course the are expected.
The double talk reminds me of a liar and a con man. Did they list my IP? No a range. Did the say I sent spam? No they just didn't expect you to send mail. Did they say I used the wrong software? no not exactly but here we market others. Are they responsible? No not really its what AOL customers want. Can I sue? Yes but you better be rich. If I am not listed can I get off the list? Yes. Why does this blacklist exist? Its not a blacklist. Will I ever come off the list? The blacklist is automatically updated to take people off who are innocent. I thought you said it wasn't a blacklist. It's not because it doesn't block. What features does it have? It can be configured to block.
How dare they stop freedoms in the US because they didn't “expect” my computer’s IP to do what I bought the computer to do?
One statistic I saw of theirs states this preference on sending (PBL) blocks 90% of emails sent and that those are SPAM filtered. That appears exaggerated. I have had many companies and clients over the years and never have I seen one get 90% Spam. More so, in hindsight, most of the Spam that I did see leaves me suspicious of the lack of a reasonable distribution across all products and markets. It was as if the reason for the SPAM was to generate SPAM as a problem itself and anoy people with a useless product. A small group, was my impression of the Spam that freely flowed through to my mail box and I delt with it without surrendering my freedoms and without creating a defamatory blacklisting society.
I question now why would the SPAM senders all compete on the same products? Most seemed to be Viagra and disgusting things that would bother users, such as asking about a mans size. The annoyance factor seemed to be edging the SPAM problem forward in the psych aspect.
It did not, in my opinion represent a cross section of the marketplace but rather something simulated by non business people. Programmers? I never saw a SPAM for bed sheets or soap. Women being the biggest internet shopping demographic, why little spam at the best demographic on the web?
I question whether programmers overseas generated these to create a problem. Regardless of who generated most of it, how could we justify the reading billions of peoples emails across the world by private third parties? It is a rip off. The nuisance is not worth the sacrifice of freedom, defaming one person, collapsing one business, or contractually signing away my own rights.
Spamhause states on their website that the PBL blocking or listing (as Junk according to AOL) is not looking if the messages are spam. This is lazy programming in my opinion, why would they not care if it is or is not SPAM.
As far as the main stream email programs, in my opinion, I can use my computer equipment however I want, sending from whatever IP/NIC that I want and I should not be extorted by a foreign company for money or personal details just so I can get off their list and experience the freedom of speech I once had before deviant contracts and cross border deals were struck to stick it to me and all Americans.
As I noted before, Spamhaus indicates I’m not blacklisted but a range is. It states its not really a blacklist anyway. It then shows others this is how you block listed people (me) on the PBL list. Lastly it show how I can remove myself from a list that I am not listed on.
It states if I only fill out their questions and reveal my personal details and explain myself to them, I can get of their list and then will they “expect” emails from my computer.
What if they change their mind? What if they want more from me tomorrow? What if? It is a rip off.
AOL is innocent in putting this there because it is what I wanted? What my customers wanted? What their customers want? Get real.
The days of limited email resources has faded away so the overloaded server scenarios is bunk. We send videos with no problems, certainly the days of email load bearing is behind most of us. Certainly large companies such as Godaddy, Hotmail and AOL.
Apparently we need some Americans, Congress and Nations Security agencies to review the US constitution and take action to reign in this horror that started growing in America, namely blacklisting and extortion.
The intent of freedom of speech is about certain types of communication being free from restrictions and not about me being free to open my mouth in isolation as a victim of blacklisting. We are given this freedom to prevent this sort of power mongering thing from happening here in our land.
We have corporations isolating people. The IP that they "don't expect" emails to come from is my personal laptop. If they black list me for communicating without regard to the legal definition SPAM and prevent me from doing business or prevent me or you from speaking with Americans about political issues, law and rights, the law has been violated.
I would also like to add that the mocking areas of Spanhaus legal pages stating that SLAPP suits are not allowed in the UK, just shows the bile in this whole blacklist attitude towards manipulating Americans. I see fear in their legal pages.
Blacklisting and unfair competition is a crime that wears many hats and in this case to put it in IT security terms, the hat is no longer a white hat.
In my opinion as person who has lived in countries that shun and seen the intentions of those who actually program this technology, I can say without reservation I see a power grab at the core of the whole SPAM blocking ripoff. I see big sites like Google (which was involved in the drive by scanning of cell phones and mac addresses), betrayal of American trust to say the least, not given high page ranking on opponents to blacklisting and filtering our emails. I have seen proposals that the implement the same blacklisting on who gets ranked.
Likely the AOL IT people who are administering to “protection” and the “good” don’t see the full picture of blacklist. Does that make them free from responsibility?
For Spamhause to dictate what and how I can use my equipment to send lawful and correct protocol emails under threat of blacklist is not “white hat” security in my opinion.
The IT guys at AOL are they worldly enough to understand the ramifications in the same way the CEOs do? Are they not seeing the collapse of the business affected or do they just see is a computer screen cleared and possibly an opportunity to go on a coffee break. Are they not seeing the coercion, the power grabs and losses to freedom? Do the people responding to this ripoff see it? It is a ripoff.
For a company to say if I sue I must put all expected lawyer fees upfront and go to England, just confirms they are not playing by American freedom and rule of law. There is no reason America cannot have their own Internet security companies under federal scrutiny and legislated to mind privacy and the letter of the law.
This blacklisting has gone too far already. See the image I am attaching.
To answer a posted comment: I understand much about firewalls and have documented and help troubleshoot these types of technologies as well as written best practices on how to configure them. So yes, I understand the way it works.
…and to the other posted comment, no I will not post ISP or IPs as this ripoff employs the best and brightest hackers in the world. I know, I worked with them. That and there is a huge amount of power at stake should this technology stay in place beyond the reach or American law and common folk.
I shouldn't have to say blacklisting is a ripoff. We all know better.