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DMA to Control Spam by DMA Members
SiliconLawyer writes: "The Direct Marketing Association, the major U.S. tradegroup for companies using direct marketing techniques, will reportedly issue guidelines for how its members may and may not use e-mail as a marketing tool. Hopefully, this will influence other marketers toward more responsible use of e-mail. Details are on CNET here."
Maybe I'm in the distinct minority, but most of my SPAM doesn't come from any real reputable marketing firm. Email sent from a company that uses forged headers so I don't know who they are doesn't seem very likely to be an upstanding member of the Direct Marketing Association. It's like saying "Look, we've outlawed guns, now criminals won't shoot people"... but that's a whole other can of worms.
Ad in classifieds: Pandora's Box (no box) $5
Second, who trusts the removal links?
Third, what prevents me from grabbing the removal database and using as a verified sucker database?
What would work is that DMA provides an email service that allows a member to submit a list and email to send to them, then they will test the address and if it is ok, then send it.
Fight Spammers!
So one of the ingenious ways they have of preventing spam is by posting a list of addresses on their website... anyone else see a problem with that? It is obvious to me that they don't really care about the spam problem, they just want to look like they are self-regulating so that congress doesn't interfere with their marketing plans.
The problem with this is that the majority of the spam mailers do not belong to the DMA. They don't need to follow the rules under this organization. The ones that do belong to this typically (I didn't say always) have an easy opt out policy. Secondly, the corporate spammers have an entity that could be potentially held liable for spam whereas the individual spammers can move and hide easily.
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Why sign up? I enjoy verbally abusing telemarketers. I espically enjoy the ones that give me the 800 number to their fax machine and send them a 600 page document from my computer or a bit of real fun... send them the contents of /dev/random... nice pages full of line noise.
yes, I'm wierd and probably a part of a tiny minority. but I gladly abuse any company that has the gall to call me at 10:30pm and wake my daughter.
I have always wondered.... is telemarketing a part of a companies life cycle when they no longer can attract customers legitimately so they have to try this just before death?
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
A DMA representative said the organization plans to announce the new rules governing commercial e-mail next week. The trade group, one of the largest in the United States with 5,000 members, includes such retailers as Amazon.com, Land's End and Eddie Bauer.
So what? Now Amazon and others will be able to send us email and claim they are within the guidelines set forth by the DMA. These guidelines are nothing more than a mechanism to allow them to legitimize their spamming operations.
I Heart Sorting Networks
How about not making it illegal to spam but make them buy a "license" to spam, and renew it every year... something like $100/yr even would weed out alot of the real clowns, but it wouldn't be so prohibitive as violating their rights.
OK, it's just an spur of the moment thought, so take it easy on me.
I Heart Sorting Networks
- Until I ask to be added -- don't contact me.
- When I ask -- presume it was not me and e-mail me a confirmation request.
- Only, when such a request comes back affirmative can you add me.
DMA, which wants to spam you, does not need to invent its own guidelines. They are already there -- by people, who know more about the Internet and e-mail, than, perhaps, the entire DMA put together...In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
No, the DMA's position is that they will spam you until you ask them to stop.
From the article:
> "give consumers notice and choice before sending commercial e-mail "
Translation: "To continue receiving exciting offers from us, you need do nothing! Or you can opt out by jumping through hoops..."
> "...or before selling, sharing or renting their e-mail addresses to a third party"
All that means is that on the web site, or in the spam, there'll be a link to a "Privacy policy" that says "We reserve the right to work with partners to offer you goods and services we think may be of interest..."
> " In addition, commercial e-mail must clearly identify the sender, represent the subject line accurately, and provide contact information."
We won't forge headers. But we'll still spam you.
> " Above all, the marketer must let consumers opt out of further communications in every e-mail. "
"We received your request to be opted out of the FORD-OWNERS93133 mailing campaign."
But tomorrow, you'll get spam as part of the "FORD-OWNERS93134" campaign. You weren't interested in that 2002 Ford Escort with air conditioning, maybe you'll be interested in a 2002 Ford Escort without air conditioning.
Sorry, this is more of the same DMA dreck -- opt-out, not confirmed opt-in. It's spam. And they can shove it up their asses until it carves its initials in tomorrow's turd.
And that's precisely why we're seeing the DMA tout its own do-not-call registry.
Because they're scared shitless that Congress will be deluged with complaints from citizens who've seen through the scam, and will actually do something about it.
This article about the DMA "please don't spam me" list is more of the same -- they're on the run, and they fear Congress will do to their email spamming dreams what it's threatening to do with their telemarketers by means of an FTC-mandated and government-enforced national Do Not Call registry.
Write your Congressman and tell him that you don't want the fox guarding the henhouse, and to support the FTC's anti-telemarketing proposals.
Since the addresses were never used anywhere other than the DMA list, it became obvious that either the DMA was spamming from that list, or they were making it available to spammers
Unless the DMA itself is sending out the spam (not likely), they have to make the list available to spammers. How else would the list work?
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