Network Working Group C. Hutzler
Request for Comments: 5068
BCP: 134 D. Crocker
Category: Best Current Practice Brandenburg InternetWorking
P. Resnick
QUALCOMM Incorporated
E. Allman
Sendmail, Inc.
T. Finch
University of Cambridge Computing Service
November 2007
Email Submission Operations: Access and Accountability Requirements
Status of This Memo
This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the
Internet Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Abstract
Email has become a popular distribution service for a variety of
socially unacceptable, mass-effect purposes. The most obvious ones
include spam and worms. This note recommends conventions for the
operation of email submission and transport services between
independent operators, such as enterprises and Internet Service
Providers. Its goal is to improve lines of accountability for
controlling abusive uses of the Internet mail service. To this end,
this document offers recommendations for constructive operational
policies between independent operators of email submission and
transmission services.
Email authentication technologies are aimed at providing assurances
and traceability between internetworked networks. In many email
services, the weakest link in the chain of assurances is initial
submission of a message. This document offers recommendations for
constructive operational policies for this first step of email
sending, the submission (or posting) of email into the transmission
network. Relaying and delivery entail policies that occur subsequent
to submission and are outside the scope of this document.
Tony Finch – blog