Microsoft Acts Tough On SenderID (they're bluffing)

SenderID is a technology that signs emails with an additional tag that servers can use to validate the identity of the sender. Microsoft proposed the standard some time ago, and has been trying to pitch it as a substantial way to fight spam.

Microsoft likes to pretend their technology provides a substantial way to prevent spam email. It does not. All it does is provide another way to help determine who sent the email.

Accordingly, Microsoft has been having trouble getting anyone to pay any attention to their standard. Open source advocates have been particularly non-cooperative with Microsoft's efforts. Their support is needed as a large portion of commercial email servers in fact utilize open source software.

It does not inherently provide any built-in email blocking. That is, unless you want to setup your email server to start bouncing any message that lacks the required tag. But that would be stupid, right?

Well, Microsoft claims that this November they will start bouncing emails from their Hotmail service which lack a SenderID tag. They are lying.

Since the vast majority of administrators have not adopted the SenderID standard, Hotmail's spam control systems would basically start to bounce everyone's email. Microsoft isn't necessarily composed of the most brilliant folks on the planet, but I don't think they're that stupid.

Microsoft isn't in the position to mandate SenderID in order to send to Hotmail users any more than the FTC is in the position to revoke analogue television broadcast licenses in 2007. The industry support isn't there, and they won't be hurting anyone other than themselves.

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