Re: AOL/Microsoft-Hotmail Preventing Delivery of Truthout As I said I present all sides djf

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "David Ian Hopper" <imhopper () gmail com>
Date: September 16, 2007 11:07:16 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Re: AOL/Microsoft-Hotmail Preventing Delivery of  
Truthout As I said I present all sides djf

Mr. Melloy just confirmed his belief that AOL is restricting the mail
it sends to its customers because of political/partisan beliefs.  That
was probably counterproductive. If you want to be helpful, at least
claim that Truthout "hates America" or "empowers the evil-doers!"
(And not the kind of post I'd expect on IP, either.)

Seriously, though, AOL demographics may indeed skew to the right, but
I doubt it's so much as to make this an actual response to customer
requests.  Can't imagine why Microsoft's doing it -- Hotmail really
cuts across all types.  I can't recall any instance of Microsoft doing
something purely motivated by politics, and not money or market share.
 Though I have no evidence of it, I'd say it's more likely, that
Truthout was a little too aggressive with its mailings.

On 9/17/07, David Farber <dave () farber net> wrote:
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Joe Melloy <jmelloy () msn com>
> Date: September 16, 2007 7:22:03 PM EDT
> To: <dave () farber net>
> Subject: RE: [IP] AOL/Microsoft-Hotmail Preventing Delivery of
> Truthout Communications NOTE DUE TO THEIR REPU
>
>
> Truthout is a biased ultra-liberal website that does not deserve to
> be a participant in the IP community.
> Take a look at their website and you'll see the likes of Keith
> Olbermann and the whole colony of New York Times bush-bashers who
> continue to thrive despite the general public who ignores their rants
> and comedic political anti-war diatribe.
> It's simple, AOL is responding to their customer base who is
> threatening to leave the AOL community of users, threatening to
> migrate to another ISP. Many of those AOL users are military
> personnel, veterans and other non-military sensible citizens who
> recognize the threat to truth that "Truthout.org" is.
> Joe Melloy President TPG - Technology Planning Group, Inc.
> Wilmington, Delaware
>
>
> To: ip () v2 listbox com
> From: dave () farber net
> Subject: [IP] AOL/Microsoft-Hotmail Preventing Delivery of Truthout
> Communications NOTE DUE TO THEIR REPUTATION djf
> Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 13:59:21 -0400
>
>
> http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/091307Z.shtml#
>
>     UPDATE: 09.14.07:12:noon:pdt:
>     We are receiving numerous reports from readers that our
> communications to them are affected. The reader comments posted below
> provide valuable additional information.
>     The most frequent question we are hearing right now is: "What
> can I do?" NOTHING works better than public pressure. They can ignore
> us; they can't ignore you.
>     AOL/Microsoft-Hotmail Preventing Delivery of Truthout
> Communications
>     Thursday 13 September 2007
>     Currently, AOL- and Microsoft-related email providers, including
> Hotmail, are preventing delivery of a range of Truthout
> communications to thousands of our subscribers. Such communications
> include Truthout's regular newsletters and notifications to our
> subscribers from individual workstations of Truthout administrators
> informing those subscribers that they are affected.
>     For the most part, all other ISPs appear to be delivering
> Truthout communications normally.
>     While AOL has been largely evasive and silent about their
> reasons for blocking communications, our server logs and complaints
> from subscribers illustrate a clear pattern of interference.
> Microsoft-Hotmail, while not being forthcoming about their actions to
> the subscribers involved, have stated to our administrators that they
> are in fact "throttling" and "blocking" our communications. Further,
> the Microsoft-Hotmail administrators inform us that they are blocking
> our communications to Truthout subscribers on their systems due to
> what they describe as our "reputation."
>     We believe that you - not your Internet Service Provider -
> should decide what you will read. In an effort to restore service and
> send a clear message to the ISPs involved, we ask you to do the
> following:
>     1.) Keep us informed. Let us know if your newsletters suddenly
> stop arriving. We have set up a special email address for those
> complaints.
>     2.) It is critically important if it does become clear that you
> are still on our list, and we are sending to you, that you demand
> your rights. The only rights you have are the ones you exercise.
>     We are deeply sorry to all of you affected. But we are confident
> that this problem can be addressed working hand-in-hand.
>     Good luck,
>     Marc Ash, Executive Director - t r u t h o u t
> Archives
>
>
>
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