So, as I clean up a few things from MYTURL.COM, let me state something I’ll continue to repeat: I AM NOT A SPAMMER.
Running a free web service has challenges, and stop SPAM is one of the biggest ones. Even under the best of circumstances, bad things will happen. MYTURL.COM was one of the first (if not *the* first) Open Source (GPLv2) URL shortners available. I think I got my first SPAM link before I got my first legitimate link.
But I made sure my stance on SPAM was know, this is from the defunct SPAM page (http://myturl.com/spam.adp)
a tiny url system, provided as a service to the entire
Internet by mek.
Hey! You sent my SPAM “you c***sucking m****f***er, why don’t you just die!”*
* Actual quote from an email, after I corrected the spelliing
A little info about SPAM and how it affects MYTURL.COM. First
note the terms of service:
Terms of Use
T url was created to make posting long URLs easier. Using it for spamming purposes is forbidden and any such use is simply stupid and you will be reported to all ISPs involved and to the proper governmental agencies.
This service and software is provided without warranty of any kind.
But people will include MYTURL.COM links in SPAM. If this happens
I am sorry. At the bottom of each web page is an email address, if
you find an email that is SPAM and contains a MYTURL.COM link, I ask
a favor or few:
- Forward a copy of the email to
turl@myturl.com
- Report the spammer to the various real time blacklist sites, including Spamhaus, Spamcop, and Uribl.
Why? Well, if somebody does happen to ignore my Terms of Service, I would
like the chance to investigate when the link was create and put additional
steps in place to attempt to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Next, MYTURL.COM uses many black listing services in an attempt to block
those links from being created. Just as with SPAM, it is very difficult
to keep up with new tactics that spammers will use. If people sending
spam are reported to the proper places, it makes it easier to get them
blocked quicker.
How does MYTURL.COM attempt to block spammers?
MYTURL.COM does a number of things in an attempt to block SPAM.
- We check the incoming address when somebody attempts to add a URL,
if that incoming IP address is on a SPAM blacklist (also called Realtime
Blacklist or RBL), MYTURL.COM refuses the link and gives the spammer en
error message.
- If the incoming IP address (or host) passes the above test, MYTURL.COM
then checks the URL and IP address of the given link against 5 realtime
blacklist. If the URL or IP address of the link is found to be on
one of those lists, a MYTURL.COM link is not created and the user
is given an error message.
- If the link passes those two tests, the MYTURL.COM link is created.
- Each time a MYTURL.COM link is clicked on, when the connection
comes to the server, before the link is redirected it is check to see
if the link has turned up on a realtime blacklist. If that link
is NOW on a blacklist, the link is *not* redirected and a message
is displayed.
- Every two hours, all links that have been clicked in the two hour
period are checked to see if those links fail the blacklist testing. Failing
links are disabled
GoDaddy (yep, the DNS register that believes whoring out women is good advertising) said that MYTURL.COM was used for SENDING SPAM. When they finally sent me email it contained no headers and used a MYTURL.COM link that NEVER EXISTED. I raised the concern, to them, that somebody might of hi-jacked the domain.
The called me a SPAMMER.
I attempted to call them to discuss the matter, on the phone they called me:
“I worthless fucking SPAM. I should just give up the domain”
Then hung up on me. They asked me to make my TOS and SPAM information more clear. I point them to the above info and asked them what they wanted added. The never replied. I disabled accepting new links and disabled current links on MYTURL.COM. Basically it was a static site while I waited for GoDaddy to reply to what they wanted me to add.
They disabled my MYTURL.COM, claiming I *continued* to *SEND SPAM*. Once again, no proof.
Since then I have sent several emails and called at least 10 times to talk to a supervisor to get this handled.
GoDaddy has yet to reply.