New crop of anti-spam tools makes publishers work a little harder
In other words, you better count those penguins

By Peter Kay
Contributing Writer
[April 23, 2003 issue]

If you check responses to each issue of your e-newsletter, you've probably noticed an increasing number of emails asking you to perform some type of operation to prove you're not a spammer.

How it works
The typical request is for you to go to a Web page and enter a word or answer a question to allow subsequent issues of your e-newsletter to pass through.

This general approach is known as "whitelist challenge/response" or WCR. "Whitelist," because the sender's email address must be on an approved "White" list. "Challenge/response" because emails from senders not on the whitelist send a "challenge" email that the sender must "respond" to.

Why challenge/response foils spammers
The logic behind the WCR approach is that spammers either do not have a working email address, or they will not respond to the challenge email. Thus, spam messages are sent to a quarantine folder.

Companies selling WCR software include Choicemail, MailBlocks, MailFrontier, MailWiper, QuikCop, SpamArrest, SpamLion, and Titan Key. With their promises of "no spam" and free trial downloads, desperate end-users are giving them a try.

Each company's software works pretty much the same way with a few small variations. For example, Titan Key (Pub Note: Peter is a principal of Titan Key), in addition to sending a challenge/response, also registers as a "hard bounce" to your email broadcast software. Typically that means your service does not send subsequent emails to that subscriber.

What challenge/response software means for e-newsletter publishers
What does this mean for you, the legitimate, non-spamming e-newsletter publisher? It means that just because a user has opted-in to your newsletter doesn't mean they will actually receive it. You're going to have to work a little harder and be a little more mindful of how you send out email if you want to minimize your costs and avoid negative impact to your list.

Step One
First, check your replies and go through the validation process on a timely basis. Failure to do so will throw your newsletter in the subscriber's quarantine folder. And if you're sending to a user protected by The Titan Key's "hard bounce," your software won't even attempt to send future emails and in some cases will delete them from your database!

Some WCR software puts a deadline on your response and if you're too late your newsletter will always be quarantined and you won't receive another challenge. It's important to be diligent about checking for replies and responding to challenges if you don't want to lose subscribers.

Step Two
Second (and not so obvious) is to make sure your "From" address is consistent. Otherwise you might have to go through the challenge/response all over again. Most bulk-email software lets you create virtually any "From" address you want. Since WCR software compares your "From" against its whitelist, if you decide for whatever reason to change your "From" address, you'll receive new challenges from all the subscribers that you've previously responded to.

There is an added caution for some publishers: Some mass-emailing software creates a specially-coded "From" address that is different each time an email is sent. This might require you to respond to challenges each time you send out your newsletter. So if you seem to be getting the same challenges from the same subscribers each time, check with your software vendor for details.

Is WCR here to stay?
Too soon to say. In the meantime, check replies to your e-newsletter, respond to challenges, and make sure your "From" address is consistent. Otherwise, face the grim consequence of your e-newsletter being forever quarantined as spam.


Peter Kay is president of Titan Key software and can be reached via his WCR-protected email address at peter.kay@titankey.com.


Useful Link:

Kaitlin Duck Sherwood's Second Generation Anti-Spam Tools