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Old 14-11-2009, 21:26   #50
graf_von_anonym
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Re: Virgin email - spying or nanny?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary L View Post
VM are telling 'us' that we can't send them passworded. and are telling us that we can't receive them. whether malware authors distribute them in this fashion or not is irrelevant. because they are telling us that 'we' can't send them.
Through their SMTP servers. There's nothing that stops you from sending them through your Virgin Media connection by other means. They're not doing content scanning on port 25 here, just examining headers submitted through their own equipment. As is their right, as it's their equipment. You do understand this, yes? It is their ball.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gary L View Post
If they are to blame for why they have to be blocked, then they are being nanny. they should give you the option to not have your hand held for you. and let you be grown up and over the age of 18 where it's assumed that you might not be a child.
I am having trouble parsing this, but I think that what you are saying is that Virgin's efforts to slow the spread of spam or viruses constitutes 'nanny' behaviour. Which is perhaps the case, in that they are making an effort to protect some of their users, and, indeed, other internet users who are not directly their customers. It is the case, it seems, that Virgin are applying stricter rules than other email providers. What of it? There are other email providers.

Just because one person is King Awesome of Email Town and can happily and safely send executables or password protected compressed files does not mean that everyone can do so, nor, indeed, that it's a good idea. As with most commercial or technical decisions, the issue is not about picking the 'best' course of action (which here would seem to be one where you were given totally unrestricted access) but the least worst. That's the nature of things like email provision, where it'll tend to be one size fits all. If that size doesn't fit you, or you chafe at its restrictive collar, then going elsewhere would seem the best course of action. Do not even think, by the way, of applying the "things have changed" defense - Virgin's customers are offered an internet connection, and as an inducement on top of that email services are offered. Email does not appear as a line item on the bill, nor is a requirement of the provision of services. Indeed, other than the AUP, email isn't a 'product' that Virgin Media supply, just something made available.
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