Comment Number: OL-102815
Received: 4/14/2004 12:09:43 PM
Organization:
Commenter: Bryant
State: FL
Agency: Federal Trade Commission
Rule: CAN-SPAM ANPR
Docket ID: [3084-AA96]
No Attachments

Comments:

Re: CAN-SPAM Act Rulemaking, Project No. R411008 To the Commissioners, Thank you for your interest in this area. I am concerned about the proposed requirement for merchants to maintain suppression lists. There are so many problems and costs associated with this idea, and so much damage done to consumers and businesses alike, that I feel I must urge you to consider this matter most carefully......that is....the proposed rule may in the end do more harm to legitimate businesses than it is intended. Requirement of the use of suppression lists will seriously damage many of the legitimate publications available on the net. My specific concern is for harm to publishers who require permission from the consumer prior to adding them to any list. We believe that customers agreeing to recieve information by email from a merchant should be able to easily do so. They're not who CAN-SPAM was designed to put out of business, but this requirement will very likely have that effect. This rule will hurt honest businesses in our opinion if not modified. There's also the potential for significant harm to consumers, because of the problem of properly knowing their intent when they unsubscribe from a list. On top of that, these suppression lists could easily fall into the hands of spammers, leading to more spam instead of less. I was quite surprised at the potential problems this ruling could involve, and urge you in the strongest possible terms to reconsider its implementation in light of these problems. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Respectfully, Your Name Your State and Country