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So decided the provider " "
Today one of the largest Russian
Internet service providers "RTComm.Ru" will block
the Internet traffic of 8 thousand customers
of the Race Communications system integrator company,
including RAO Gazprom and Sberbank of the Russian Federation. So
the provider will protest against the use
of a black list of spammers on the Race e-mail server,
which contains 128 thousand Internet addresses
of users. In "RTComm.Ru" believe
that filtering emails from these addresses
harms the provider's customers. The system integrator
denies the charges, claiming that "RTComm."
selflessly indulges spammers.
The shutdown is scheduled for 12.00. At noon
, e-mail addresses
and web sites served by will be unavailable for a number of Race subscribers.
This step will surely be noticed by all customers
Race, since "RTComm., a subsidiary of
Rostelecom, is one of the three
largest Internet service providers in Russia.
Representatives of "RTComm.Ru"claim that in
the last few months the company has regularly
received complaints from its customers who
cannot send e-mail to the addresses
of customers of the Race Telecom operator, a subsidiary
of Race Communications. Engineers of "RTComm."
found out that
the black list is an obstacle to the passage of letters spews.org installed on
the Race Communications mail server. In this sleep juice,
served by "RTComm.Ru", 256 thousand addresses
of the provider's clients have been entered, from which letters to subscribers
Race Telecom does not reach. "We tried to negotiate
in peace, but failed," says the head
of the information protection group "RTComm."
Nikolay Fedotov.-This policy creates problems
for our clients, including well-known
Russian companies, such as Russian
Aluminum, and large providers. In addition,
it causes us image damage."
To combat the burning on the mail server Race
Communications the site blacklist is used spews.org .
This is one of 30 similar lists that exist on the
Internet. Full four-byte IP addresses
the computers from which spam
emails come can be entered into the registry by both
cuuma holders themselves and visitors. Now in the database
of bathhouses for spammers spews.org several million
addresses.
Race Communications Technical Director Dmitry Orlov
calls the actions "RTComm.Ru" by gross
interference in the information
security policy of Race: "We are not a provider, are not
bound by any contractual relationship with
"RTComm." and we have every right to protect our
corporate network from spam. Actions
"RTComm.Ru" can be interpreted as pandering
to spammers. It's no secret that spam often makes
up a significant share of Internet traffic providers and,
accordingly, brings them a tangible income."
Commenting on the claims of "RTComm." in detail,
Mr. Orlov noted that with the help of a database
spews.org . only the mail that
is addressed to Race Communications employees, but not
to the clients of the system integrator, is filtered.
In "RTComm., on the contrary, claim that
the Race mail server blocks emails
addressed to both employees and customers
of the company. "If the problem concerned only us and
Race Communications, there was no question of any conflict, -
says the first deputy CEO
"RTComm." Alexander Gorbunov.- But this
problem also concerns third parties. Therefore, we
believe that the upcoming sanctions against Race
Communications are quite adequate." "There is no question of any
pandering to spammers! In all
contracts with our clients, we provide
for sanctions for organizing unauthorized
mailings",- Nikolay Fedotov comments on the accusations from
Race Communications.
According to Mr. Fedotov, his
company's specialists tried to contact
the owners directly spews.org to ask to remove from
it the IP addresses used by the provider
's clients that have nothing to do with sending
spam. However, the dialogue did not work out, because in
spews.org they demanded to disconnect from access nodes
"RTComm." whole networks, individual users
of which were only suspected of sending spam.
In "RTComm." claim that, unlike other
blacklists that really protect
against spam, spews.org it is not such a protection, since it
contains not spam sources, "but entire networks of those
providers whose policies are objectionable
to the list holders." And to pursue the owners
spews.org it is extremely problematic in court
because of their anonymity. In this regard, "RTComm.Ru"
recommended several Russian companies
that used spews.org on mail servers,
abandon it, and that's it, except for Race
Communications, implemented these recommendations.
So far, the parties have not come to a compromise: Race Communication
refuses to delete the list from the mail server,
and "RTComm.Ru" - block access to Race clients
Telecom to Internet nodes.
Kommersant will monitor developments.
VALERY KODACHIGOV, Kommersant (Moscow) 11.08.2003,
No. 141/P, p.5, 7
