RE: AOL Charged With Blocking Opponents' e-Mail

["Larry Seltzer" <larry () larryseltzer com>]

> > the amount of so-called targeted marketing that is based on interests or
"business relationships" will likely surge.  To most people, that e-mail is
still spam.

Read the Goodmail terms: you have to have a complaint threshold within
certain bounds. All the mailing lists are opt-in. Mailers have to honor
unsubscribes. What else can you reasonably require as an accreditation
service? That nobody be offended by receiving mail that they asked for?

> > The bottom line is this: no outside agency has any right to decide what
e-mail is or is not spam.  If I choose to question their decision, I ought
to have that right.  

This position is obviously unreasonable. Almost everyone gets their mail
through an ISP and ISPs are expected to provide spam filtering. Apart from
blacklists and whitelists I don't see how you can let users define the
criteria

> > That means it's my decision to label your "certified" e-mail spam and NOT
have my ISP's filter deliver it to me anyway.  

Of course you can do that, but if you received it you asked for it (assuming
the system is working as designed). Goodmail is working on a system whereby
when you click the "Spam" button in AOL or through a similar facility the
request will be passed on as an unsubscribe or complaint
(http://www.goodmailsystems.com/senders/faq.php#f4).

> > Further, I also have the right to expect that e-mail will be delivered to
me WITHOUT BIAS if I decide that similar e-mail (even if uncertified) is not
spam.  Goodmail takes control of my inbox away from me.  Therefore, it's a
TERRIBLE idea.

Uncertified e-mail has nothing to do with Goodmail. Such e-mail will be
delivered according to current policies just as before Goodmail. This is the
point that DearAOL people are persistantly ignoring and denying without
basis. 

> > AOL's choice to censor opposition to its misguided proposal (which
ultimately screws consumers and only benefits advertisers) only provides
further warrant to the claim that AOL will not be inclined to make the best
choice for the consumer.

I don't know what to make of this; what is AOL censoring?

Larry Seltzer
eWEEK.com Security Center Editor
http://security.eweek.com/
http://blog.eweek.com/blogs/larry%5Fseltzer/
Contributing Editor, PC Magazine
larryseltzer () ziffdavis com 


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