TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: AOL Starts Charging for Email from Large Senders

Re: AOL Starts Charging for Email from Large Senders

Matt Simpson (msimpson@uky.edu)
Tue, 07 Feb 2006 09:09:30 -0500

In article <telecom25.56.4@telecom-digest.org>, Jon Swartz
<USAtoday@telecom-digest.org> wrote:

> Anyone can apply for the program. Goodmail determines if applicants
> are legitimate companies with pristine e-mail standards. AOL has final
> approval. E-mail of approved companies will come with digital tokens
> recognized by AOL security defenses. AOL subscribers will still be
> able to block mail from certified senders by adjusting anti-spam tools
> on their accounts, AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham says.

> AOL says The New York Times and American Red Cross have signed up for
> the service.

OK, right away we know the "pristine email standards" requirement is BS.
Red Cross is a spammer, and AOL is going to let them pay to get around
spam filters.

I made a donation to the Red Cross for Katrina relief. (Please don't
flame me; I realize now I should have donated to a better organization).
Like most sites that accept credit card payments, they asked for an
email address for confirmation. Fortunately, I gave them a throwaway
one.

Subsequently, that address was bombarded with email from the Red Cross.
Each one had an "opt out" link that directed me to a website. The
language on that site was something to the effect of "Click here if you
want us to stop sending you news and only send you requests for money".
There was no option to stop ALL email from them. Finally, I disabled
the address I had given them.

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