[Savannah-cvs] [ListHelperAntiSpam]

[Beuc]

Listhelper and spam control

 If you're using a mailman list on lists.gnu.org for your project(*),
it's possible to configure mailman to automatically delete most spam.
Here's how:

 * On the General Options page:

  - add address@hidden as a moderator (not administrator).

  - ensure admin_immed_notify=yes

  - ensure respond_to_post_requests=no (**)

 * On the Privacy Options > Sender Filters page:

  - ensure generic_nonmember_action=hold

 That is it.  Without going into every detail, the result is that message
that remain in the hold queue will be piped through a
very-conservatively-configured spamassassin, and 95+% of spam will be
automatically deleted after a short delay (usually measured in
minutes, unless things get backlogged).

 Real messages from non-members (or non-approved addresses) will remain
in the hold queue, and need to be approved by a human.  (We recommend
adding real addresses to the "accept in the future" list when approving
them.)  Thus, you should pay attention to the once-a-day mailman
notification when there are "pending message(s)", but ignore the
once-per-message mailman notification.

 The process does not affect messages from members and approved
addresses, which continue go through without delay.

 The system was set up by Bob Proulx (address@hidden), with kibitzing
from Karl Berry (address@hidden).  The two of us attempt review every spam
and nonspam that goes through the system, to try to catch misclassified
messages.  (Very very few real messages are classified as spam; we've
been running the system for a year or so, and have had only half a dozen
or so, out of I don't know how many hundreds of thousands of messages.)

 Please feel free to add your GNU lists, we don't need to be explicitly
informed.  And of course we're happy to answer any questions.  And if
you need help moderating the list, likewise let us know.  I come across
volunteers from time to time.

 Futures: GNU sysadmin continues to work on an integrated mail handling
system that will be an improvement in many ways over this.  But this is
what we could do now, to try to keep from drowning in the junk in the
meanwhile.

 (*) Actually, the listhelper system is not tied to gnu.org in any way.
A few people are using it for handling non-GNU mailman lists as well.
If you'd like to do that, email us.

 (**) Actually, respond_to_post_requests has nothing to do with the
listhelper system.  But it's important to do, because it reduces
backscatter from lists.gnu.org, which in turn decreases our chance of
being blacklisted.  And most lists are set up by default to have
respond_to_post_requests=yes.

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