PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Coalition of Internet Organizations to Help Consumers Fight Spam, Save Money
Companies and public interest groups to fight spam and promote
responsible Internet marketing.
CHICAGO – ChooseYourMail.com, SAFEeps, the Coalition Against
Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE) and the Forum for Responsible
Ethical Email [F.R.E.E.] have launched a new joint consumer
assistance project enabling consumers to recycle their “spam” email
into money-saving offers from online retail sponsors.
This unique coalition of leading anti-spam advocates and companies
have joined forces behind the Spam Recycling Center [SRC] (located at
http://www.spamrecycle.com) in an effort to fight spam, raise public
awareness, and promote responsible e-mail marketing practices.
The SRC allows Internet users to join the fight against spam by
forwarding their unsolicited commercial email to the SRC where it
will be cataloged and forwarded to the Federal Trade Commission and
shared with filtering organizations for use in the development of
better anti-spam software.
“It is clear that spam has hindered the growth of electronic
commerce, but just saying spam is bad isnt enough. We have to
mobilize the public and provide alternatives to the Internet retail
community,” said Ian Oxman, president of ChooseYourMail.com. “That is
why we developed this program. We wanted to give Internet users a
voice in the fight against spam and illustrate responsible Internet
marketing techniques.”
“It is through programs like this that companies and legislators will
be educated about non-abusive ways to market on the Internet,” said
Scott Hazen Mueller, Chairman and founder of CAUCE.
“ChooseYourMail.com and their Internet retail sponsors are proving
that you dont need to spam in order to get your message out online.”
Participation in the program is simple. After going to the Spam
Recycling Center, netizens are given instructions on how to forward
their spam and, if they choose, get the featured special offer from a
retail sponsor. Users participating in the program are also given the
opportunity to sign a petition asking Congress to restrict spam as
well as read summaries of the current anti-spam legislation pending
on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures.
While in the Spam Recycling Center, Internet users are also given the
opportunity to have their e-mail address included on the SAFEeps
“opt-out” database. The SAFEeps system from Phoenix, AZ-based
American Computer Group [ACG] allows email marketers to purge their
lists of individuals or organizations that do not wish to receive
unsolicited commercial email. Both individual email addresses and
entire domains can be added to the SAFEeps list. This database was
designed for use by e-mail marketers to eliminate from their lists
the addresses of those people who have chosen not to receive direct
e-mail marketing.
“SafeEPS gives Internet users the opportunity to say no to
unsolicited e-mail marketing, but that is just half of the equation,”
said Rodney Joffe, President of ACG. “Marketers and advertisers must
recognize that they have an obligation to the Internet users to be
responsible in their methods. That is one of the goals of this
recycling program, to raise the awareness of Internet marketers as to
the proper way to conduct themselves on the net.”
For more information about the Spam Recycling Center, contact Anthony
Phipps or Ian Oxman at 1-800-767-6606 or visit www.spamrecycle.com.
About ChooseYourMail.com
Founded in 1998 as responsible marketing alternative to “spam,”
ChooseYourMail.com is an ethical, private, “opt-in” e-mail marketing
company that acts as a private sector infomediary between e-mail
marketers, netizens and ISPs. ChooseYourMail.com also works with
public interest groups and legislators at the state and national
levels to craft and promote sound, effective, “anti-spam” legislation.
About CAUCE
CAUCE is the world’s largest Internet-based advocacy organization,
with more than 16,000 members across the United States, and
affiliates in Europe and Australia. It supports and works toward
passage of legislation prohibiting unsolicited e-mail advertisements.
CAUCE has no budget, no office and is run by an all-volunteer board
using donated resources. For more information about CAUCE, visit its
Web site at http://www.cauce.org .
About SAFEeps
SAFEeps (sm) is a product of Phoenix, Ariz.-based American Computer
Group (www.mailorder.com), the worlds leading Internet-based service
bureau for the direct marketing industry. It promotes consumer choice
and provides a framework for industry self-regulation of e-mail
marketing.
About F.R.E.E.
FREE is an ad hoc, all volunteer group of Internet users and
professionals, dedicated to ending unsolicited bulk e-mail through
education and legislation. More information about FREE is available
at http://www.spamfree.org