Unwanted E-mail Doesn't Deserve Your Permission

In my previous posting on the subject of unwanted e-mail, I mentioned that not all the e-mail you don't want that is cluttering your mailbox is spam. That is because you have actually given your permission for a lot of it. "How?" you may ask. That is the subject of this entry.

From the perspective of advertisers, your e-mail address has value. Your e-mail address with permission to send you e-mail is even more valuable. Merchants are constantly looking for ways to procure both your e-mail address and your permission to send messages there. Getting your permission is most of the battle in bringing their marketing into conformity with anti-spam laws. At least, this is true for those actually trying to comply.

If you don't want to give advertisers permission to e-mail you, don't! That's easy to say but harder to stick to. Here are some of the reasons.

1) Nearly every time you register a product or service warranty online, there is a mandatory request for a valid e-mail address. Somewhere in the registration will be a check box section (often pre-checked) saying something like, "Keep me informed regarding product updates." That sounds harmless enough. You certainly want to hear about any product recalls. But, product updates may include announcements about companion products such as a cup holder to fit on the handle of that lawnmower you registered. You may think the announcement is junk, but it is technically NOT spam because you did give your permission for it to be sent to you. The only way to avoid giving this permission was to have unchecked that box regarding updates.

2) Many contracts for such things as cell phone service or credit card accounts also ask for your e-mail address. Most of these will include a section offering to send you information from "partner companies" or "select companies." Many times you must take action to opt-out of this information sharing. Doing nothing will imply your permission. You might think you want information from the partner companies, but there is no guarantee that your cell phone company is not partnering with a sports drink producer. "Select" may sound exclusive, but the basis of selection may have been little more than agreeing to pay the fee to rent the list. Nevertheless, by giving your permission in such a general way, you opened the door for these kinds of e-mails.

3) If you have ever completed a survey that included your e-mail address, you have probably given permission for all kinds of mailings. For example, in a list of questions regarding your fashion tastes, favorite colors, political leanings, etc., you may have been asked, "Would you like to know more about making money from home on the internet?" If you answered anything other than "No," you probably gave your permission for that whole category of e-mail. These surveys are typically done by lead list companies who sell your e-mail address along with your response, the time, the date, and even your IP address to multiple marketers who are going to act on your unintentional request. They will be able to provide satisfactory evidence of your request if the matter should ever go to court.

4) Nearly every free online contest requires registration which includes permission to e-mail you advertising. This serves the obvious purpose of paying for the prizes. You accept this consequence instead of shelling out the money for lottery tickets, etc. If you don't recall this provision, check the "Terms and Conditions" that you said you agreed to. They actually expect most people will agree without ever reading them. Again, the time, the date, and the IP address from which you agreed to these terms were recorded in case it should ever be necessary to defend against charges of spamming.

I could go on, but I think you get the picture. The first step in stopping unwanted e-mail is to refuse to give permission for it to be sent to you in the first place. This requires vigilance. Dealing with unwanted e-mailings you already gave your permission for is a subject for a future post.

That's Wade's two cents.

Wade Houston
December 18, 2007


See also Spam Wars