[Lnc-business] multiple-recipient messages improperly flagged as spam

Tue Sep 13 03:21:55 EDT 2016

As with many things in IT, there is a balance between convenience,
security, and cost. Over the years in IT, I've watched as security has
been increased because it had to be. The increased security brought
increased complexity (decreased convenience), and increased complexity
brought increased cost for tools to make it convenient to administer. 

There's a balance to be struck, for certain. In looking at some of our
technology in use today, it is apparent to me that we need an upgrade. 

The website upgrade is coming, and that's good -- it's forward facing to
our customers and so that should look good. We need the party to stay
outreach-focused, and I believe that prioritizing the website redesign
over other projects properly reflects that attitude. 

However, our core IT need some changes. For instance, other mailing list
software can automatically archive threads to a simple website. 

This topic could also lead to discussion about providing core IT
services, such as email and web hosting, to state affiliates. But I've
already deviated far enough from the original discussion. 

The point is that, yes, our core infrastructure probably needs a revamp.
I'd suggest that once the new Website is rolled out, that upgrading the
core infrastructure be the next task. 

---
Ken C. Moellman, Jr.
LNC Region 3 Alternate Representative
LPKY Judicial Committee 

On 2016-09-13 01:51, Starchild wrote: 

> I wasn't expecting that you kept statistics on it, Alicia! I was simply wondering whether you could recall even one such case. 
> 
> Allowing people to copy messages sent to the LNC list to other recipients without having those messages automatically flagged and held up by list software isn't just a matter of my "personal convenience". We have an interest in better communications between the LNC and party members and state affiliates, and imposing artificial barriers or limits on such communications obviously does not serve that interest. 
> 
> Do we have anyone on staff with the computer skills to look at the list and see whether there is a way to disable or adjust this feature? I'm not sure what Nick Dunbar's current status is, but I believe he might know and have copied him on this email. If there is not a way to fix the problem, that begs the question of whether this is the best list software for us to be using, but at the very least, LNC members should be advised as to exactly how many recipients they can copy on their messages without triggering the flagging delay. 
> 
> Love & Liberty, 
> ((( starchild ))) 
> At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee 
> (415) 625-FREE 
> 
> On Sep 12, 2016, at 9:02 PM, Alicia Mattson wrote: 
> 
> Starchild,
> 
> I get a lot of emails from people whose accounts have been hijacked, but I do not keep statistics on how many of them have been LNC members at the time.
> 
> Even if the spam protections on the list could be turned off for your personal convenience, I wouldn't favor it because one such message making it through could cause substantial damage to a fellow-LNC member's computer if they (in a moment of mindless habit) clicked on a link which felt safe because it came from a colleague through our email list.
> 
> You wish to use this list for something it wasn't designed to do. You have the ability to avoid the problem with slight changes to the way you send emails. If it is truly critical that everyone, everywhere knows which recipients you are sending to, then send to your big list, tell them you will separately send it to the LNC, and then forward that message to us as the only recipient. It gets through the spam filter, relays all the info you seem to wish to relay, and doesn't create extra work for a list admin.
> 
> -Alicia
> 
> On Mon, Sep 12, 2016 at 8:27 PM, Starchild <sfdreamer at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> That's a valid point to consider, Alicia - yet how often does it happen? During your time as LP secretary, have any LNC members' email accounts been hacked with spammers attempting to use their addresses to send spam to the list? If so, how many such incidents have there been? 
> 
> I would weigh what I assume is the rarity of that occurrence against the certainty that numerous messages have been held up just from me, just this term, due to the low threshold for number of recipients a message can have without getting flagged, which seems to be relatively unique to the LNC list, or at least that it kicks in at a lower level than any other similar feature of which I'm aware. I've occasionally gotten similar messages from my Internet Service Provider when trying to do an email blast to many dozens of recipients, but not from any other email list that I recall offhand. 
> 
> Love & Liberty, 
> ((( starchild ))) 
> At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee 
> (415) 625-FREE 
> 
> On Sep 12, 2016, at 7:57 PM, Alicia Mattson wrote: 
> 
> Starchild,
> 
> I'm not aware of a way to disable that anti-spam function. I disagree with your position that such spam protections are unnecessary due to the subscriber-only model. People's email accounts get hacked, and spam gets sent out under their name.
> 
> -Alicia
> 
> On Mon, Sep 12, 2016 at 6:27 PM, Starchild <sfdreamer at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Yes, I've noticed the delay. But sending separate messages would mean people not on the LNC wouldn't see that the LNC has been copied, and people on the LNC wouldn't see that other recipients have been copied. Is there a way to adjust the list settings so that messages with lots of recipients don't get held up as spam? Since only folks on the LNC and staff can post to this list anyway, features meant to protect against spam are unnecessary here.
> 
> Love & Liberty,
> ((( starchild )))
> At-Large Representative, Libertarian National Committee
> (415) 625-FREE
> 
> On Sep 11, 2016, at 11:00 PM, Alicia Mattson wrote:
> 
>> Starchild,
>> 
>> When you send the LNC-Business list an email with a large number of other recipients on the cc: list, the list suspects it is spam, and so it holds the message for moderator approval even though it is from an otherwise approved sender. That creates work for an admin to log in to the admin panel and push the message through.
>> 
>> Off the top of my head I don't know how many can be on the cc: list before it flags it. I know you can copy a couple of other addresses, but 11 other addresses is over the limit.
>> 
>> You can get your messages through faster and without creating busy work for an admin if you will just send them differently. If you will send the messages to the LNC-Business list separately from the other cc: list, it will not get flagged and held.
>> 
>> -Alicia
>> 
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>> Lnc-business mailing list
>> Lnc-business at hq.lp.org
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> 
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