[geeks] Governemnt...Doing Something Right?

Jonathan C. Patschke jp at celestrion.net
Wed Dec 18 15:18:09 CST 2002


I just heard a report on ABC News (via KLBJ) that the Federal Trade
Commission is pushing for a universal "do not call" list to augment the
individual telemarketing firms' "do not call" lists.  The proposed list
would allow people to opt out from -all- telemarketing calls.

I think this is a huge improvement over the current system where you
have to tell each company not to call you again.

Thinking more about this...why can't we implement something like this
for email in DNS?  You could easily create a TXT record for a host, an
entire domain, or individual users like this:

 # assume this in is celestrion.net:
 @              IN      TXT     "NOUCE"  # By default, no one in this
                                         # zone wants spam.
                IN      MX      10 mail.celestrion.net.
 mail           IN      TXT     "NOUCE"  # Redundant, but illustrative
 jp.mail        IN      TXT     "NOUCE"  # Again, redundant
 spammy.mail    IN      TXT     "UCE"    # Override the default

Just a thought.  As much as I hate spam, I'd like to see it taken care
of in a way that allows people who -want- advertisements[0] to get them.


[0] I've met at least one person who actually -likes- spam.  I guess
    there's no accounting for some tastes.

-- 
Jonathan Patschke
  "Albert Einstein nailed space-time, but the wild thing had him stumped.
   Al, baby, two and two make five-and-a-quarter; that's why people fall
   in love." -- Thomas Dolby, "That's Why People Fall in Love"



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