Michael Gracie

Faced with criticism over licensing requirements, Microsoft has decided to release the Sender ID Framework under its Open Specification Promise.

This makes a lot of sense. Sender ID has long been the subject of controversy, and since a sizable portion of email servers are already open source, this may just lead to some adoption. We all just want some standards, and regardless of whether Sender ID and SPF are the answer, this is a step in that [right] direction.

A marketing trade group starts requiring its members to use authentication, but Techdirt says its a joke that only leads to more problems.

I don’t have much of an opinion on it either way, as the whole authentication battle seems like a bunch of monkeys in a barrel. But I seem to have been effected by Microsoft’s moves with Sender ID.
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Sender ID has been the subject of controversy for some time. It started with a bunch of promises, and since then Microsoft has attempted to force everyone’s hand.

All the while, its originator, Meng Wong, sitting in the middle.

Email Battles recently interviewed Wong, creator of SPF (the precursor to Sender ID), and it seems he is none too happy about the situation.

I don’t really get this, so I am looking for a little input.

Microsoft is cramming Sender ID down everyone’s throat by making it a requirement for legitimate messages in Hotmail; meanwhile better than 80% of spam already uses some authentication scheme (including, in cases, Sender ID).

Please help me here. What is Microsoft thinking?

The Washington Post produced this story about Meng Wong, the inventor of Sender ID which is well worth a read, particularly for those of you watching the anti-spam goings on over at Microsoft.

Meng Wong originally aligned his technology with Microsoft upon their promise that the it would remain royalty free. It wasn’t long before Microsoft was filing patents. New anti-spam standards still haven’t been agreed on, and everyone has their hand out.

And inboxes everywhere keep filling up with junk.
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No sooner (or should I say “at the same time”) that Microsoft decides it is going to try cramming its authentication protocol, Sender ID, down everyone’s throat through its Hotmail offering, then the other side of the coin drops.

Ironport, makers of email security appliances, has announced that they have integrated Domain Keys into their offerings. Domain Keys is the competitor to Sender ID being pushed by Yahoo!.
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Microsoft has been talking about Sender-ID for some time. Now they are making headlines in pushing the technology into their mainstream applications. But one major publisher cannot tell the whole story (they never do).
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In Solutions from PC Magazine: The Spam Stoppers, it is suggested that Sender ID actually enables spam.

I am not following, so someone please explain it to me.
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