Why was I referred to this website?

We do not control the network traffic on anyone else's servers; therefore, we are not the ones rejecting your email, the mailserver you attempted to send email to generated the bounce. We simply provide a public list of ranges of Internet space (IP addresses) and domains which we do not wish to exchange traffic with. Other networks may choose to filter traffic on their systems using our list. APEWS never touches any email (or other data packets) between your network and someone else's network. Any email bouncing or packet blocking that takes place occurs at the receiving system.

Please understand our list is based on IP addresses and domain names only, not email addresses, URLs, email software, message contents, or anything else. We know that, as a user of the Internet, email and other connectivity is important to you. We also know that unsolicited bulk email (spam) is bad. We encourage you to ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to fix the problem which has resulted in your mail bouncing or whatever other effects of being listed in APEWS you may be experiencing. This is in the best interest of all parties on the internet - except the people sending or profiting from spam. Also be aware that having an email bounced does not mean it must be spam, it just means your or your ISP's mailserver was listed due to a spam related problem.

The first step in fixing the problem is to determine if the IP address your email system uses to send mail is in the APEWS list. There is a lookup form which will help you find out at the top of this page. If you were sent here via a link in a bounced email, there should be a APEWS record number already in the form's lookup box. All you need to do is click on [TEST]. If your system is in the APEWS list, you should see a page with the reason(s) APEWS has listed this part of the Internet. If the form cannot find the corresponding record, then it is not in the APEWS list. It may be that the IP address of your mailserver is in some other blocklist and the place you were sending email to incorrectly sent you here. There is also a chance that between the time of your email bouncing and your coming here, the spam problem was corrected and your email system is no longer listed in APEWS. There can be up to a eight (8) hour time lag in the de-listing process.

If the lookup showed that the IP address is in APEWS, it is in a range of addresses that are either a spam source, or a spam support service (e.g., a webserver or nameserver). We normally publish the nature of the problem on the page that is displayed when one does a lookup. This is sometimes in the form of an evidence file. The evidence file will explain the problem. From there, actions to fix the problem will consist of reporting the information on the page. Only administrators responsible for the listed address(es) will have the authority to fix the problem. Reading the APEWS FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) should be of help in this. Be aware that some networks filter all IP traffic, not just email, based on the APEWS list.

In other words, if you are not the administrator of the IP address(es) in the APEWS list, then you should contact your ISP in order to attempt to resolve the problem. When you contact your ISP, they will need a copy of the bounce message which you received and/or other evidence of the problem. Be sure to include the IP address which was rejected. Let them know that it is on the APEWS list and give them the URL of the lookup form.

Finally, most places listed in APEWS have shown a consistent pattern of spamming, giving support to spammers, or tolerating spammers on their systems. For this reason it may be difficult to get the administrators to provide a solution. You may, in the end, need another method of sending email to the growing list of networks and ISPs that use APEWS.