MIPSpace Ratings and Types
MIPSpace was created to deal with the increase in Email Marketing activity that ISPs and their end users are facing.
However, there are definite 'types' of email marketing, each with their own characteristics, but they have one thing in common, they have access to 'IP Space'. This is what makes even the most aggressive email marketers different from traditional spammers who utilize to hacked servers, PCs, and even appliances in order to send email.
Recently it seems that even the less scrupulous operators have found it easier to get IP Space, either by social engineering or using stolen credit cards, or finding willing hosting providers, or hosting providers who simply do not care, to even directly applying for IP Space from ARIN, LACNIC and others.
Surprisingly, many hosting providers accept this behavior, as when they assign all IPs for whatever 'legitimate' use, it enables them to get even more IP Space allocated. But fundamentally there are 3 main types of Bulk Email Marketers
Caveats: Just because a company, an IP, or a network is listed under one of these categories, does not infer that the following description applies. IP Space may change owners/operators, and reputation is constantly under review, so while the reputation may be that of a source of Bulk Email, no express alegations are made against the operator, even though they might be listed in a certain category, and the information below is a generalization.
MIPSPACE-WORST
MIPSPACE-WORST is mostly comprised of affiliate email marketers. They get paid when you see an email, or click on it's contents, and they try to do anything to get the messages in your in-box. They are always looking for fresh IP Space, renting it, buying it, or applying for it. However, they also tend to hide their identities, and use techniques like using random or throw away domain names, often with .info, .cc, or .country extensions, to avoid reputation checks, and usually the cheapest domain names they can get. They tend to have fake company names, no websites, and don't worry about abuse reports, volume, rules etc. Many are fly by night, starting up with a new company name and a new IP Range when the first one is at risk, or no longer effective.
They also may use their systems for more nefarious purposes, e.g. stock promoters, scams, etc. if they get a paying customer.
They tend to gain the email addresses from bought lists, addresses scrapped from public sources etc.
MIPSPACE-POOR
MIPSPACE-POOR tends to be a different breed, they are actually companies who are often legitimate, but have one sole purpose, making money by getting other peoples email in your mailbox. They might operate as a hosting provider, who simply turns a blind eye to what is occuring on their networks, or providers which 'lease' the IP Space to marketers who could be classed as MIPSPACE-WORST, or they might be companies that get paid by 'relaying' email from others, who don't want to use their own networks, or they might be actual email marketing companies, who care more about volume and money, than operating in a internet friendly manner, and tend to not look at the activity of their users and subscribers.
Often they might have a mix of honest companies/clients with clean lists, as well as the not so clean customers, but they tend to blurr all the activity together, making it harder seperate the good from the bad.
MIPSPACE-PROS
MIPSPACE-PROS are part of a multi-billion market involved in using email for marketing purposes. These are normally legitimate companies, working for some of the world's top brands, Fortune 500 companies, and enterprises who simply want to outsource that job. It could be your local department store, a software company who's site you once visited, new technology startups trying to get the word out, but in general, while you may not have really wanted marketing email from them, you have opened the door to it in some way, or someone else used your email address, and opened the door for you.
Typically though, the company performing the email marketing tend to be more professional. They have and respond to abuse complaints, and usually try to send email properly representing the company that they are doing the work for. Sometimes though, they might do all the Bulk Email for that company, for example your favourite airline, and they might mix email marketing with legitimate email you do want.
Another possibility is that it might be the company itself, e.g. the local grocery store, the airline, the real estate agent, using their own 'opt-in' bulk mailing sytem. The problem is that usually the concept of opt-in is loosely used. It might be as loose as you shopped there once, you entered a draw, you gave them your email address to receive your bill, or you once entered it into a web form for them, or their '3rd party partners'.
NOT MIPSPACE
There are operators that run legitimate bulk email mailing lists, however they use what is called 'confirmed double opt-in' mailing list software. This is where when you provide them with your email address, they first send a confirmation email to make sure that it was really you that wanted the information, and you MUST confirm that you are subscribing.
While this is still Bulk Email, it is not unwanted. You chose to get emails from this person/company/mailing list. And the system allows you to stop receiving the emails any time you want. This is the way that all Bulk Email operators should operate, as this is actually more effective, as it only sends emails to the people who really want it. These types of lists, if used properly never appear on MIPSPACE, even some of the worlds' largest mailing lists.
Visit our Stats Page to see just how big the impact is, some information on 'Worst Offenders' or simply sign up, and see how this list can save your company money in bandwidth, overhead, lost customers and more.