Path: ...!news.snarked.org!news.nk.ca!.POSTED.doctor.nl2k.ab.ca!not-for-mail From: doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca (The Doctor) Newsgroups: news.admin.net-abuse.usenet Subject: Re: FAQ: Current Usenet spam thresholds and guidelines Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2023 00:56:14 -0000 (UTC) Organization: NetKnow News Message-ID: References: Injection-Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2023 00:56:14 -0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: gallifrey.nk.ca; posting-host="doctor.nl2k.ab.ca:204.209.81.1"; logging-data="88750"; mail-complaints-to="usenet@gallifrey.nk.ca" X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test77 (Sep 1, 2010) Originator: doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca (The Doctor) Bytes: 9121 Lines: 173 In article , Tim Skirvin wrote: >Archive-name: usenet/spam-faq >Posting-Frequency: weekly >Last-modified: 1998/11/10 >URL: http://wiki.killfile.org/projects/usenet/faqs/spam/ >Maintainer: tskirvin@killfile.org (Tim Skirvin) >Original-Author: clewis@ferret.ocunix.on.ca (Chris Lewis) > > Current Spam thresholds and guidelines. > >This article is intended to describe the current consensus spam thresholds >and ensure that the definitions of these terms are available and consistent. >It is believed that most, if not all, spam cancellers use these terms and >definitions in their work; however, many other people use the terms >inappropriately, which leads to confusion in discussions. This is an >informal FAQ aimed at clarity and understanding, not anal-retentive >correctness. > >Excessive Multi-Posting (EMP) has the same meaning as the term "spam" >usually carries, but it is more accurate and self-explanatory. EMP means, >essentially, "too many separate copies of a substantively identical >article." > >"Substantively identical" means that the material in each article is >sufficiently similar to construe the same message. The signature is >included in the determination. These are examples of substantively >identical articles: > > - byte-for-byte identical messages > - otherwise identical postings minimally customized for > each group it appears in. > - advertising the same service. > - articles that consist solely of the same signature > - articles which consist of inclusions of other user's > postings, but are otherwise identical. > >Cross-posting means that a single message appears in more than one group. >Most newsreaders allow you to specify more than one group in a posting. > >Excessive Crossposting (ECP) refers to where a "lot" of postings to more >than one group each have been made. > >Some people think cross-posting is "bad". In and of itself, it's good >behaviour - it allows you to reach more groups with less impact on the net. >Especially if you set the Followup-to: header to one group. It is "bad" >when it's done to attack newsgroups or provoke flamewars (like cross-posting >how to cook a cat between alt.tasteless and rec.pet.cats), but this is beyond >the scope of this FAQ. > >This author considers the term "spam" to mean excessive postings of >EMP and/or ECP variety. That is, "spam", is a generic term for several >different things. The term was originally supposed to mean EMPs only, but >most people use "spam" to mean "any excessive posting". > >A spam, EMP, or ECP therefore refers to a posting that has been posted to >many places. There is a consensus that there is a point at which it is >abuse, and is subject to advisory cancellation. > >A formula has been invented by Seth Breidbart which attempts to >quantify the degree of "badness" of a spam (whether EMP or ECP) as a >single number. The Breidbart Index (BI) is defined as the sum of the >square roots of n (n is the number of newsgroups each copy was posted >to). > >Example: If two copies of a posting are made, one to 9 groups, and one >to 16, the BI index is sqrt(9)+sqrt(16) = 3+4 = 7. > >The BI2 (Breidbart Index, version 2) is an experimental metric, which >may eventually replace the BI. It is calculated by computing the sum >of the square roots of n, plus the sum of n, and dividing by two. Eg: >one posting to 9, and one to 16 is > > (sqrt(9) + sqrt(16) + 9 + 16) / 2 > ( 3 + 4 + 9 + 16 ) / 2 = 32 / 2 = 16 > >The BI2 is more "aggressive" than the BI, intended to cut off the "higher >end". BI allows about 125 newsgroups maximum. BI2 allows a maximum of 35. > >A slightly less aggressive index is the SBI (Skirvin-Breidbart Index); it >is calculated much the same as the BI2, but sums the number of groups in >the Followup-to: header (if available), rather than the newsgroups. Eg: >one posting to 9 groups, and one to 16 with followups set to 4 is > > (sqrt(9) + sqrt(16) + 9 + 4) / 2 > ( 3 + 4 + 9 + 4 ) / 2 = 20 / 2 = 10 > >Except in nl.*, where the SBI is followed, the BI2 and SBI are not used to >determine whether a spam is cancellable. > >The thresholds for spam cancels are based _only_ on one or more of the >following measures: > > 1) The BI is 20 or greater over a 45 day period. > 2) is a continuation of a previous EMP/ECP, within a 45 day > sliding window. That is: if the articles posted within the > past 45 days exceeds a BI threshold of 20, it gets removed, > unless the originator has made a clear and obvious effort to > cease spamming (which includes an undertaking to do so > posted in news.admin.net-abuse.usenet). This includes "make > money fast" schemes which passed the EMP/ECP thresholds > several years ago. This author recommends one posting > cross-posted to no more than 10 groups, no more often than > once every two weeks (a BI of 3). > >A single posting cannot be cancellable - to reach a BI of 20, it would >have to be cross-posted to 400 groups. This isn't possible due to >limitations in Usenet software. > >These thresholds nominally apply to all hierarchies - not just the Big-8 >and alt.*. Many hierarchies have more restrictive rules, which are decided >upon and enforced by their users and administrators; they may also opt out >of the cancellations, at the discretion of the same users and admins. > >These cancels have nothing whatsoever to do with the contents of the >message. It doesn't matter if it's an advertisement, it doesn't matter if >it's abusive, it doesn't matter whether it's on-topic in the groups it was >posted in, it doesn't matter whether the posting is for a "good cause" or >not - spam is cancelled regardless, based on _how many times_ it was said >and not _what_ was said. > >Administrators wishing to ignore spam cancels can "alias out" the site >"cyberspam", and the cancels will not affect your system. This is normally >done at your feed site, but patches are available for INN to allow you to >reject spam cancels on your own system. Ask in news.admin.net-abuse.usenet >if you need this patch. > >Further literature on posting etiquette and related information: > >The newsgroup news.announce.newusers > > >"What is Usenet", by Salzenberg, Spafford and Moraes > > >"What is Usenet? A second opinion.", by Vielmetti > > >"FAQ: Advertising on Usenet: How To Do It, How Not To Do It", by Furr > > >"A Primer on How to Work With the Usenet Community", by Von Rospach, et al > > >"Rules for posting to Usenet", by Horton, Spafford & Moraes. > > >"Emily Postnews Answers Your Questions on Netiquette", by Templeton et al > > >Numerous books and publications on Usenet, such as O'Reilly's "Stopping >Spam" (Schwartz and Garfinkel), the "Whole Internet Guide and Catalog" >(Krol), "Usenet Handbook" (Harrison), etc. > >"Cancel Messages: Frequently Asked Questions", by Skirvin > > >RFC 1855 - Netiquette Guidelines > > >The above FAQs are also mirrored at various sites, including as ftp.sunet.se, >mirror.aol.com, ftp.uu.net, ftp.uni-paderborn.de, nctuccca.edu.tw, >hwarang.postech.ac.kr, ftp.hk.super.net etc. > >A mailing list has been set up to assist those wishing to post commercial >advertisements on Usenet in a responsible fashion. Email your questions to >commerce@acpub.duke.edu. Any way to make this into a NNTP SW module? -- Member - Liberal International This is doctor@nk.ca Ici doctor@nk.ca Yahweh, King & country!Never Satan President Republic!Beware AntiChrist rising! Look at Psalms 14 and 53 on Atheism https://www.empire.kred/ROOTNK?t=94a1f39b One way works, and the others do not; who would choose destruction? -unknown Beware https://mindspring.com