Sender-ID in Turmoil (updated)

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Author: Chuck Mead

For some time now I have been involved in the process of creating an anti-forgery standard for MTA’s. This effort, embodied in the MARID working group of the IETF has been enlightening to say the least. This week the committee is embroiled in discussions as a part of the last call deliberations for a draft standard. The draft, called Sender-ID, is a bit of a bastard child or maybe more of a genetic anomaly. You see Sender-ID was born as a result of the merger between Microsoft’s Caller-ID proposal and Meng Weng Wong’s Sender Policy Framework or SPF for short.

Immediately after the initial merger Microsoft was pushing for the use of XML based records in DNS. Needless to say this went over like the proverbial lead balloon and was quashed with relative speed.