A method and system for identifying whether an electronic communication is
likely to be unwanted by the recipient is provided. A trust system relies
on a trust provider, such as a sending domain, to indicate whether an
electronic communication is likely to be unwanted. The sending domain may
assign its trust level to the electronic communications based on various
factors. Upon receiving the electronic communication and the trust level
assigned by the sending domain, the receiving domain may determine
whether to forward the electronic communication to the recipient based on
the trust level. If a sending domain consistently provides trust levels
that are accurate assessments of whether electronic communications are
unwanted, then the receiving domain learns to trust the trust levels
assigned by the sending domain. In contrast, if the assigned trust levels
are not accurate, then the receiving domain learns not to trust the
sending domain and may discard all message from the receiving domain
without forwarding them to the recipients.