Authentication and Spam

Ok, privacy/anti-spam guru Anne Mitchell and journalist extraordinaire Pamela Parker have both said it: SPF — and Sender ID, and Domain Keys, and any authentication protocol) for that matter — are not about stopping spam.

I agree with both and want to emphasize Pamela’s main point, that authentication is the next layer of protection in the war against spam, not the end game. It will work with legislation and other methods currently employed to set the stage for the next wave of solutions, around mailer reputation. More on that in the weeks to come.