Frequently Answered Questions
- I sent a message but it got rejected—why did I get a link to here?
Why are you blocking my mail?
I sent an eMail to someone and it got blocked because of your list. -
RFC2 does not block any eMail. We maintain a database of hosts and domains which are non-standard/non-RFC (de facto standards) compliant, and make this information available to other administrators who may choose to use inclusion in the lists as a signal in a filtering regime.
The person to whom you sent your message is either unwilling or unable to communicate with you at the eMail address from which you sent your message because of how your mail service is configured. You should contact your mail provider (usually at either the support@ or postmaster@ mailboxes) and ask them to fix this problem. You may also read the removal page.
- Neither I nor my domain sends spam, why am I listed here?
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Each of our curated lists track compliance with specific requirements of RFCs (with the exception of the elitist list).
RFC2 is not a spam list, nor are we a list of malware-infected hosts. Domains listed in RFC2 are listed irrespective of the content of the eMail that flows through their systems or from their domain.
- Why is Mail host listed, but the most recent history item is an
ACCEPTEDremovalrequest? - We process requests throughout the day, but the changes may not take effect until the next day. Given the way that DNS works, even after we accept a request and our DNS servers are updated, there may be a further delay until your DNS server sees this change.
- Why isn't Mail host listed, even though it has an
ACCEPTEDlistingrequest? - Even if the most recent action is an accepted listing request, there is a delay for our systems to be updated. Please see the previous question.
- My service provider doesn't have a postmaster address, what do I do?
- Unfortunately, the postmaster address is the only required means of contacting the manager of a mail service, and not having this address is similar to driving a car without a license. It's physically possible to do so, but makes the highways more dangerous when people do. You could try eMailing the support address instead, or call your customer support number.
- What does the listing status mean? Why is my request still in pending?
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Requests are initialy placed in pending where it stays until it is accepted, or either expires (in the case of removal) or is rejected (in the case of listing).
A pending removal has two stages. Initially, the request is placed in a queue. Subsequently, lists which are eligible for self-removal will send a removal mail. In cases where the domain either is not running a mail server, or otherwise refuses the removal mail, the status will not advance until it expires. If the receiving server accepts the mail, but never delivers it, you should check your server logs and correct your mail handling.
A removal request which is not acted-upon will eventually expire. You will need to re-request removal at this point.
A listing request which does not have sufficient supporting evidence will be rejected.
Once a listing request is confirmed, or once a self-removal request is completed (and the domain owner confirms receipt of the removal message by following its directions), the request is accepted.
- I requested removal, where is my removal key?
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Within 24 hours (usually much less) you should receive an eMail with next steps for lists with auto-removal. This eMail goes to your POSTMASTER address (for POSTMASTER and DSN; it goes to ABUSE for the ABUSE list). If the eMail is rejected, it will not be resent until another removal request is made.
Normally issues receiving the removal key are configuration issues on the receiving mail server, and looking at the percentage of domains that have issues or expired requests compared to those that are successfully unlisted through the automated process, the current system works reliably. Nevertheless, if you have any questions or something seems amiss, we have limited ability to investigate if you contact us.
- I host my mail on Google, but am not getting the removal eMails.
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nb: Even if you complete the autolisting, you might be relisted. As of late 2015, Google's Googlemail/GMail servers do not fully support RFC 5322, ignoring section 4. This is marked as a mandatory aspect of the SMTP definition.
We've noticed that as of mid-2015 Google had started rejecting removal requests for sites hosting mail in their network. As of mid-2016, this seems to happen about 50% of the time depending on the IP being used to send, resulting in a delay (but not rejection) in the outgoing mail.
We have had users report that even though Google accepts the eMail, it only comes through as a line in a log file that the mail was filtered. This is a clear listing situation since the eMail is not being read by a human.
At the same time we have seen several Google apps users successfully complete the removal process. Most recently (2018-05), someone reported success in the newsgroup after following directions to map the postmaster address to another eMail address.
If you're having issues and are hosted on Google's mail services, ensure that you have configured your Google account for someone in your organization to receive postmaster and abuse eMail. If you continue to have problems, you should talk with your Google apps support or sales rep.
- Why do I keep getting re-listed in the postmaster zone?
- Even if you successfully fullfil the self-removal process for removing yourself from postmaster, your domain might still be using a misconfigured mail server, causing your domain to be re-listed. Please see the postmaster listing policy for details, but generally the problem is often that the domain is using outsourced mail exchanges (possibly as back-up exchanges) which are misconfigured, and which do not handle mail to the <POSTMASTER> address to all domains on the machine (and without qualification, i.e. no domain).
- We provide virtual hosting and fixed our mail exchangers, but new domains continue to get listed for sharing an MX which either does not accept mail to the postmaster or does not accept mail from null senders. What should I do?
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We do not have a process to automatically un-flag mail exchangers. You can wait for our system to recognize the change, but given that both failures and errors may not be fully detected, your best bet is to contact us and let us know that you've fixed the problem.
Please note that updating your MX if you're a mail service provider will not automatically unlist users using your service. Those domains will still need to complete the standard unlisting process.
- Did you really list an entire TLD?
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WHOIS2 is a list that includes TLDs which do not run compliant NICNAME/WHOIS servers. Hosts listed under these TLDs must not be listed in the WHOIS list. TLDs and similar domains (such as second- or sub-level domains which host no services themselves) must not be listed in any other list than WHOIS2.
Occasionally our data might have one of these domains mis-classified; please let us know when this happens.
- Why is my domain listed when I don't even have eMail?
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Usually a user lists a domain when he or she attempts to respond to an eMail issue (or joe-job spam campaign) and your message bounces. The easiest way for you to indicate that your domain should never be sending mail is to publish an SPF txt record in DNS with a rule of "v=spf1 -all"—this tells all compliant mail servers to automatically reject any message from your domain (you will also want to do this as a wildcard for that domain, so spammers cannot forge a subdomain either).
Now, this won't necessarily prevent you from getting listed, but if you are listed, and you don't use eMail anyway, you shouldn't be affected by the listing. Simply request removal if you decide to start using eMail later.
- Why would someone want to use RFC2 and block my mail?
- The reasons why someone might choose to use RFC2 lists in their decision to block incoming mail are numerous and varied. Some might choose to use RFC2 lists on a moral or idelogical reasons with the belief that the servers listed in RFC2 lists are bad for the health of the Internet. More likely, however, the person to whom you sent your message wouldn't ever be able to write back to you because of how your mail server is configured, and rejecting your message is the only way to let you know that they aren't intentionally ignoring you.
- Why might I not want to use RFC2?
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Just as there are varied reasons why you might want to use RFC2, there are reasons why you might not want to suse RFC2, or weight a given list lower in a comprehensive mail handling regime. You should fully understand the listing policy of any list, including RFC2, prior to integrating it into your filtering process.
Some entire domains are listed in WHOIS.
Many popular free-mail services (including those that support outsourcing business mail) often are non-compliant, and are listed.
- Can I use IP-blacklists as a contributing factor?
- Yes, we realize that certain blocks of IP addresses may be more likely to generate only unsolicited eMail to your domain, and using an IP-based blacklist as a part of a larger decission making process will not get you listed in an RFC2 list as long as it is clear that other factors played a role in the decision to reject a message.
- Is there a mailing list?
- No. We do have a newsgroup for discussion or any perceived errors and issues (preferably, please direct posts to the appropriate sub-group). This is the official means of support for RFC2. This avoids the obvious problem of assisting users with misconfigured eMail systems via eMail itself, as well as allowing for open discussion and collaboration. No support related to the lists will be provided over eMail or telephone. All list issues, including support, must be handled through the newsgroup. We will not reply through any other medium.
- Your newsgroup was empty so we/I/our admin decided to eMail/call you/your postmaster/your hostmaster/your registrar/your mother.
- Articles in the newsgroup have an expiration time and will age-out after a period of time. We do actively monitor the newsgroup. If the news server is down for maintenance, it's usually for a short period. If you've never used a newsreader before, Mozilla's Thunderbird is available across several desktop platforms, and also does eMail.
- Can I eMail you directly?
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Any support related to the list should go through the newsgroup.
You should only email a role account for issues apropos of that role's remit. We will not transfer issues between queues. In particular, it is inappropriate to eMail the hostmaster or postmaster with any issues related to interacting with the Web site or listing process.
- I belive that this server should be listed, how do I do that?
- RFC2 lists are by their nature constantly being updated. If you feel that a mail service should be added, please verify that it meets our listing policy, and then file a listing request. You should provide the error message provided by the server in the "reasons" section. You may elide sensitive information, as this text will be publicly visible.