Remembering a friend
In 1998, Ellen Rosintoski went looking for a way to get email spam out of herinbox. Her search lead her to
spamcop.net
, then a small, freely-availableservice designed to help users report the spam they received. She volunteered,and spent several years helping users figure out how to take back theirinboxes from the spam that threatened to inundate them. Later, when SpamCopadded a DNSBL, she fielded inquiries from angry listees. She counseled manybusinesses on how to set up their own abuse desks and how to stop the spamemanating from their networks. She became a paid employee when SpamCop wasacquired by IronPort Systems, and worked as a SpamCop deputy until herretirement in 2009. As Ellen seemed incapable of idleness, she volunteered withSpamhaus after her retirement up until her death.
Ellen was certain she knew what good behavior on the Internet looked like andher quiet, behind the scenes work was more valuable than she ever let on. Shenever sought attention or recognition for her work, but she challengedthose she worked with to be better and smarter. Ellen empowered countlessInternet users with the knowledge to help clean up their own parts of theInternet, and she challenged the listees she worked with to straighten up andfly right.
She was smart, fierce, funny, and never hesitated to tell you what shereally thought. She talked fast but she thought faster, and had anunparalleled ability to detect falsity and dissembling. She was also a talentedknitter, quilter and seamstress.
Ellen passed away on February 19, 2015. Those of us who knew and workedwith her will miss her always. The Internet anti-abuse community is a far, farbetter place today because of her work, and we are all profoundly poorer forher loss.
Kelly Molloy is a Senior Program Manager Farsight Security, Inc.
Heading
