Platforms

All


Abstract

Determines whether to enable AOL Feedback Loop Auto-Processing.


Example

z/VM:

SPAM_FEEDBACK_PROBE = 'AOL.COM'

Unix:

SPAM_FEEDBACK_PROBE="AOL.COM"

export SPAM_FEEDBACK_PROBE

Windows:

SPAM_FEEDBACK_PROBE=AOL.COM


Details

SPAM_FEEDBACK_PROBE determines whether to enable AOL Feedback Loop Auto-Processing. AOL's Feedback Loop reports are sent automatically by AOL to organizations that are on AOL's whitelist. Once configured, LISTSERV automatically parses the reports and implements the actions required by AOL's whitelist agreement. This helps preserve whitelist status and reduce the number of spam complaints from AOL users.

There are two steps in configuring automatic feedback loop processing. The first is to set this configuration variable to AOL.COM (see the examples above). The second step is to create a LISTSERV list dedicated to feedback loop processing. It can be configured as you wish as long as the special AOL address from which the spam reports are coming is authorized to post to the list. Test the list carefully to make sure that archiving is working properly and that the list will not send any replies back to AOL. Then add Misc-Options= PROCESS_SPAM_FEEDBACK to the list configuration to activate automatic report processing.

If the message is recognized as an AOL spam report and it refers to a message originated after you set SPAM_FEEDBACK_PROBE=AOL.COM, LISTSERV will:

        1. Immediately delete the AOL user from all LISTSERV lists, on the first spam report. This does not include Dynamic Query Lists, which are managed outside LISTSERV.
        2. Not send any notification to the AOL user.
        3. Log a SPAM_COMPLAINT record to the list's change log, if one has been defined. You can use this information to remove the AOL user from Dynamic Query Lists, if you have any such lists that may contain AOL users.
        4. Serve the AOL user off with the DROP option, which prevents the user from accidentally re-subscribing to the list.

This ensures that no further mail will be sent to the AOL user and minimizes the risk for further complaints (although experience has shown that AOL users often find old messages in their mailbox days or weeks later, which can lead to a handful of additional spam reports). In the future, other ISPs may be supported, but for now only AOL is supported.

In addition, the SPAM_FEEDBACK_ACTION site configuration variable may be used to customize LISTSERV's reaction to an AOL Feedback Loop report.


Default Value

Not set, that is, disabled.


See Also

SPAM_FEEDBACK_ACTION