[x]Blackmoor Vituperative

Sunday, 2006-01-29

False positives on bl.spamcop.net

Filed under: Technology — bblackmoor @ 11:14

There was a time when SpamCop’s bl.spamcop.net was a useful blocklist. I say “was” because bl.spamcop.net is getting so many false positives now (several a day, from a variety of unrelated and non-spamming servers) that it has become more of a liability than a service, and I have removed it from my list of blocklists. I now strongly recommend others do the same.

I reported this problem to deputies@spamcop.net, including a sample of a dozen or so of the false positives, a week or so ago. I have received no reply. For reference, here are just a few of the erroneously blocked servers:

  • synigent.com
  • iconma.com
  • ebay.com
  • clicknfax.com
  • intuit.com
  • cardmemberservices.com
  • dice.com

SpamCop as a service is a still useful, because it allows me to selectively filter using a variety of blocklists. So I will definitely be keeping my accounts. But I will no longer be using the unreliable bl.spamcop.net blocklist, and therefore there is no reason to take the trouble to “report” spam to SpamCop anymore.