[ale] Speedfactory now requires mail contents to be readable

[Jerald Sheets]

 From the time I joined, they suggested not using their mail server,  
and  to build my own.  You have that ability, and I would definitely  
recommend it.

An aside here:  You have Microsoft and clueless users to thank for  
these types of policies.  It is in Speedfactory's best interest to do  
this type of automated scanning, so as to escape culpability in the  
spread of viruses and trojans, as well as staying off various  
blacklists hither and yon.

It is a necessary evil these days.  I'd jjust enable postfix or  
Sendmail on the back end of that machine, and be your own mail server.


Jerald M. Sheets jr.
Sr. UNIX Systems Administrator
The Weather Channel Interactive
404.293.8762



On Dec 28, 2005, at 10:54 AM, runman wrote:

> My ISP is Speedfactory and I chose them primarily because I
> really wanted just a plain pipe - a static ip that worked, a
> few email boxes and some disk space for a really small
> family web site.  Nothing more.  No AOL-isms no Compu-Serve
> proprietary browser, no Bell South taking me for an
> expensive ride, nothing else - just a simple IP.
>
> Recently I attempted to send a friend an email with a
> password protected zip file as an attachment.  The file
> created an error on the mailserver - something about not
> being able to examine the contents of the attachment.  I
> called Speedfactory and talked first to a technician who
> soon referred me to her supervisor (odd as most of the folks
> who in the past have answered my calls were really
> knowledgeable).  I was then told that Speedfactory's virus
> checker choked on any attachment that it could not read.
> What the h-e-double toothpicks ?????  Why is my ISP suddenly
> having this requirement to "read my attachments" ???  I am
> running both Norton AV and AVG (as well as MS Outlook) and
> *none of them* has a problem with password protected files.
> I would thought that my programs would be the most likely
> culprits.
>
> While I don't usually password protect my attachments I
> would certainly like the opportunity to do so if I want/need
> to do so.  I don't think that this was a requirement when I
> signed up and I have not been told since then that my ISP is
> now in the mail-reading business.  Pres. Bush, the NSA, and
> the Homeland Security bunch I understand, but my ISP ?????
> (or are they all together now ??)
>
> Is anyone else aware of this ?? Any Speedfactory customers
> out there perfectly happy with this ? ... am I (and possibly
> Aaron) the only ones upset over this ?  Is this a case of a
> stupid anti-virus program / stupid ISP or "homeland
> non-security" gone wild or  am I just being paranoid /
> expecting too much ???
>
> I can understand some idiots who expect an ISP to do what
> should be the responsibility of the enduser but this is
> crazy.  All ISP's should know that there are folks who will
> encrypt mail as well as send stuff in crazy formats.  And
> Speedfactory should know that they have many customers who
> want a plain vanilla IP and no interference.  Has their
> customer base changed or have they been taken over ???
>
> I guess if Speedfactory will continue this nonsense I will
> be building my own mailserver and/or going somewhere else.
> Somehow I get the feeling that they (Speedfactory) are going
> downhill much like Mindspring did when they merged with
> Earthlink.
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