SORBS Problem Blocking Legitimate Email

[engine]

SORBS Problem Blocking Legitimate Email [theregister.co.uk]

Many email users around the world have been unable to send messages because of ongoing technical problems with a popular service designed to prevent spam from reaching its intended destination.

The problems at SORBS — short for the Spam and Open Relay Blocking System — began on Wednesday and continued into much of Thursday, said Michelle Sullivan, who founded the real-time blacklisting service in 2002 and sold it to GFI Software last year. As a result, messages sent from a huge number of legitimate mail servers were labeled as junkmail and returned to sender.

The snafu was the result of a transition from one SORBS system to another that corrupted a database containing potentially millions of IP addresses,

SORBS admins have responded by temporarily clearing out the entire table of faulty listings under the theory that it's better to let through spam than to block real email. They are in the process of rebuilding the database and populating it to user servers around the world, a process that could take up to 24 hours.

[carguy84]

SORBS REALLY needs to just go away. It's one of the worst, if not the worst implementations of anti-spam I've ever come across. Plus weren't they busted for extortion?

[Webwork]

It was really something to see Norton generating repeated bright red "warning type" pop-ups, atop my MS Outlook interface, annoucing that my emails to a friend were being blocked because Verizon flagged them as spam. I felt . . . dirty . . and . . falsely accused.

Naturally, I wasted at least 30 minutes attempting to a) work around the problem (of being a spammer); and, b) attempting to determine why I was suddenly being flagged as a spammer and what I could do about it.

So, do you think I have a case for libel or infliction of emotional distress against SORBS? I mean, really! Calling me a spammer! :p

Okay, if not, how about a claim for compensation for wasting my time - that stuff of life that I value . . . that spammers themselves have no issue wasting? No? It's all just about email having a hefty "suck factor"?

Okay, then how about I be allowed to kick the knuckleheads who set this in motion . . in their SORBS? ;)

[weeks]

Hmmm. We had a problem last week with our email newsletters. We have not sent any out this week. Interesting.

[rogerd]

You should consult a qualified attorney for answers to your questions, Webwork. Be sure they consider punitive damages to ensure no such emotional distress is inflicted again.

[bwnbwn]

Webwork I really think you need to consider [webmasterworld.com...] worried about You :)

[incrediBILL]

I'm pretty hardcore with my anti-spam email filters and SORBS is nowhere on my DNSBL list.

I hand checked which services were the most aggressive in filtering out real-time spam and they hardly tagged anything vs. all their counterparts that keep my inbox nice and clean.

I'm not sure why anyone would use them in the first place!

[bwnbwn]

Bill you pretty hardcore about everything....

[Demaestro]

do I have a case for libel or infliction of emotional distress against SORBS?

Are you in France? If so you have a good shot.

[koan]

So, do you think I have a case for libel or infliction of emotional distress against SORBS

Not sure if serious but... companies aren't allowed to have problems? Do you sue every time your ISP is down?

[np2003]

SORBS are one of the worst RBLs on the Internet, I can't believe legit companies/ISP still use them, their list is filled with errors/false positives.

[Webwork]

Not sure if serious

You missed the "hint" = ":p" @ end of line = "tongue in cheek" = NOT serious