A community-based "green list" (CGL) message filter for mail service providers. The CGL filtering enables trusted messages to be delivered directly into a user's inbox folder and other messages to be delivered to other folders associated with the user. The CGL filtering indicates which messages are sent from those message addresses listed as friends in the user's personal address book. Also, the scope of CGL filtering includes more than those message addresses that the user interacts with directly (one degree of separation). For example, the CGL filtering also evaluates message addresses that are connected more remotely to the user through other nodes (users) in the online community that are located multiple degrees of separation away from the user.