For 2 weeks now, I have been a user of the Sendio I.C.E. Box Sender Address Verification system. I implemented it across my brockmann.com email server so as to eliminate the bombardment of spam and to understand the dynamics of the platform.
My previous implementation was using ClamAV and the Apple Mail server and Apple Mail client filtering software. For the first year of operating the server, I trained the spam filter and then gradually reduced it's sensitivity. Even then, the server typically allowed as many as 200 messages a day arrive into my inbox, and my client settings moved all except 10 or 15 messages a day. So, despite my best efforts, I got all the graphical spam and all the phishing attacks I could stomach. As shown in the report, The Problem With Email, I'm about average.
My address, [email protected] had been a spam magnet for a couple of reasons. I am the administrator and technical contact for several domains and therefore am listed more than once in the WHOIS? database of the Internet domain managers, and have been listed there since 1996. As well, because the address is over a decade old, it's been trolled on the newslists and off my kids' piano school website and probably half a dozen other sites with careless trolling control practices. [Historically, I never would have posted my email address as above, but I have no fear of being trolled now.]
Well, in the 20 day period April 17, 2007 through May 6, 2007 I have received zero spam. I have received two unsolicited marketing requests that I have since asked them to delist me (and given that they had gone through the process of replying to the challenge and therefore having invested in my communication), I expect they will obey my requests. So far so good.
Total trapped messages: 4,849 = 243/day; the vast majority of these are flagged as 'BULK.'
Hurray for Sendio. I've got my email inbox back!
