[Gluster-users] RBL mafia used by gluster-users

[Zenon Panoussis]

I tried to post here and received this bounce:

====
Your message to the following recipients cannot be delivered:

<gluster-users at gluster.org>:
     mx2.gluster.org [8.43.85.176]:
 >>> RCPT TO:<gluster-users at gluster.org>
 <<< 554 5.7.1 Service unavailable; Client host [172.104.248.218]
 blocked using dnsbl-3.uceprotect.net; Your ISP LINODE-AP Linode,
 LLC, US/AS63949 is UCEPROTECT-Level3 listed because of a spamscore
 of 73.9. See: http://www.uceprotect.net/rblcheck.php?ipr=172.104.248.218
====

Following the link in the bounce, I find that my IP is not
blacklisted, but the entire Linode AS is:

====
AS	Status	Spamscore   Provider has total IP's	Level 1 listed abusers
63949	LISTED	73.9        520960                      126
====

Right on! They found 126 spamming IP-addresses in an AS of more
than half a million, and blacklisted the entire AS, all 0.5+ million
addresses. That's like demolishing an entire city because three
shoplifters were found to live in it.

But not all is lost; there is actually a way out of this:
http://www.whitelisted.org/?ip=172.104.248.218

====
WHITELISTING IS RECOMMENDED FOR IP 172.104.248.218.

Your IP is listed in UCEPROTECT Level-3.

Since your IP wasn't directly involved in abuse, you can exclude your
IP from neigborhood blocklists as UCEPROTECT Levels 2 and 3 and others
that are importing our whitelist, by registering your IP with us.

Registration is available for 1 Month (25 CHF), 6 Month (50 CHF),
12 Month (70 CHF), 24 Month (90 CHF)
====

If this is not a mafia, nothing is. "Sorry mate, it's really nothing
personal, but unless you pay us a monthly protection fee we have no
choice but to shut you down".

I very strongly question the use of such "services" in general, and
especially when reasonable, reputable and fully fuctioning alternatives
exist, e.g. Spamhaus. Please stop using the uceprotect.net RBL.

For my part, I do not succumb to extorsion, I will not change my ISP
and I will not pay the extorsion fee. In other words, I will remain
locked out of this list as long as gluster.org keeps using uceprotect.net.