I've reached a decision point regarding the Mail Abuse Prevention System (MAPS). As of the end of this month, MAPS will only be providing service on a subscription basis[Cached]. Up until now, it has been possible for me to participate in (and enjoy the benefits of) MAPS without being a subscriber. The only "payment" I have made to MAPS has been by taking the time to report open relays to the MAPS RSS. The new subscription scheme doesn't necessarily mean I'll have to pay money, but I will have to formalise the relationship if I want it to continue.

I consider myself a "hobby site": although I do have a small number of users who pay for dial-up access via my system, I'm notoriously lax about actually collecting money, and I have no interest in developing the service into a viable business. "Hobby sites" are exempt from fees under the new MAPS subscription fee structure[Cached], but I have to decide whether I want to claim hobbyist status and subscribe, or just stop using it. I certainly wouldn't use it if I had to pay fees. Spam costs me money, but not as much as they ask for a "small business" subscription (yet), and it's not like MAPS is even close to 100% effective in stopping spam.

Does this move on the part of MAPS amount to shooting themselves in the foot? The sheer volume of subscribers is what makes MAPS powerful, and driving away users (as this will) means reducing their own power as an anti-spam system. It's a question of degree, of course: perhaps the reduction in power won't be enough to have any practical imact. On the other hand, they might kill the service in the process, and that would be a shame considering their status as a valuable Internet resource.

I expect I'll part ways with MAPS for now, but keep an eye out for future developments. And I certainly won't be nominating any more sites for the RSS unless I subscribe.