When Does Signing Up Become 'Opting In?'

AmyVernon writes "This piece from RWW got me thinking about whether, when you sign up for access to a site, you're actually signing up to get a slew of email spam from them. The single opt-in is still really popular, which I've noticed because I often check the box indicating I don't want further emails from a company or publisher. I always assume that giving my actual email address means I'm going to get spam-type emails from whomever. It still surprises me that most people don't. But it does raise a good question: Shouldn't you be able to sign up for something without automatically being signed up for a never-ending stream of 'updates?'"

Comments

Re:Some managers don't get it

[WuphonsReach]

I worked for a company that had a manager who insisted on sending out a newsletter to everyone in the company customer database. We warned him that was illegal. We warned him that would be spamming.

Not illegal in most jurisdictions as long as there is a pre-existing business relationship. Presumably, if they're customers, then they qualify.

Doesn't mean it's not sleazy and prone to cause problems.