FreeLists does everything it can to prevent third-party archival sites from mirroring content. Sites like gmane.org and narkive.net aren't allowed, but why?

Simply put, they're stealing content, diluting our site and its value, and that puts the whole service at risk. FreeLists is free because of our archives; our business model is entirely dependent on the [minuscule] revenue brought in by ads on archived posts, and when that content appears on other sites, search results often (usually?) end up in the wrong place.

Let's look at the problem from the other direction: Third-party archiving sites provide only the archiving service – none of the mailing list service, email delivery, or support – but with your content they reap all the aforementioned reward! Financially, this is no different than sites that scrape and mirror content without permission.

We will continue to actively ban content thieves. We see it as crucial to the survival of our community and appreciate your support in the matter.

Features can be added! Please let us know what you need.