MIPspace.com an Over Zealous Spam Black List
I have been having trouble communicating with several clients and potential clients in my local area. I checked my mail-server error log and found the problem. A local ISP warwick.net uses “Magic Mail” which in turn uses MIPspace block list (black list) as an email filter.
I run a small dedicated or VPS server with limited clientele and know for sure that NONE of them are spamming anyone. Because I had just leased a new server on a new network, the new IP seemed to be on many SBLs. One by one with the help of the parent hosting company, we got my IP block removed from all but one SBL… which one? You guessed it… MIPspace.
I went to their website, MIPspace.com and read through their concept. I was struck by the notion that they deem almost every commercial business as spammers essentially. If I send a monthly newsletter (which I don’t) to my customers or contacts, I am spamming people? Really? Most sane people don’t consider a newsletter from a company for which they have some relationship with as spam. But MIPspace doesn’t care. They tout 60% block rates for unwanted email spam. What they don’t tell you is a good number of those are false-positives; email from legitimate businesses just trying to communication with their customers.
I don’t spam anyone, and none of my web hosting clients do either. If you read this blog you will be keenly aware that I am against spam as much as anyone could be. But still, MIPspace blocks my email. How do they do that? They just block the whole IP block… which could be hundreds or thousands of IP addresses and tens of thousands of websites. This is a completely asinine system that just blocks thousands of websites based on one bad IP in a block. It is akin to blocking an entire area code just because one telemarketer was calling from that area code. Stupid!
The funny thing is they are very proud of their system. However, it is a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. You must realize that a spammer could spoof an IP address that is otherwise totally innocent, and cause an entire C-class to get blocked. It is beyond absurd, and they are going to find that their “block everything” system will eventually land them in serious legal problems as business owners sue them for lost business.
I am all for anti-spam ideas and new and better systems for fighting spam, but creating a punitive system that punishes innocent businesses without cause is a bit over zealous. MIPspace is an example of everything wrong with the anti-spam effort. ISP’s should wake up and stop using Magic Mail with the MIPspace block list. It is just a big lawsuit waiting to happen. Avoid MIPspace at all costs.
NOTE: I would publish their email, phone or mailing address, but the cowards don’t even publish any of those contacts on their website. What a joke!
