What is Spamcop?

SpamCop is one of the oldest spam reporting and blocking services, operating continuously since 1998 (now owned by Cisco). Its blocklist (SCBL) is built primarily from user reports - when recipients forward spam to SpamCop, the system analyzes it and may list the sending IP.

Impact Level: Medium. SpamCop is widely queried but known for fast listing and fast delisting. A brief SpamCop listing usually resolves quickly if you stop the offending behavior, unlike some lists that require manual intervention.

Key characteristics:

• User-driven: Listings come from spam reports submitted by SpamCop users
• Fast on, fast off: IPs can be listed quickly but also delist automatically once reports stop
• Trap network: Also uses spamtraps to detect spam sources
• Transparent: Tells you which reports triggered the listing

What triggers listing:

• Multiple spam reports from SpamCop users
• Hitting SpamCop-operated spam traps
• Consistent pattern of reported messages

How to check: Visit spamcop.net/bl.shtml

Delisting process: SpamCop is largely automatic - listings expire 12-24 hours after reports stop arriving. If reports continue, so does the listing. The key is stopping whatever is generating the reports:

1. Identify the source of complaints (usually complaint feedback loops help)
2. Stop mailing the complainants
3. Wait for automatic delisting (typically within 24 hours of last report)

Manual delisting: Available at spamcop.net/fom-serve/cache/298.html but usually unnecessary if you've addressed the root cause.

SpamCop is democracy in action - real users voting on what's spam. Get enough votes against you and you're out, but the court of public opinion has a short memory once you reform your ways.