Comments:

Re: CAN-SPAM Act Rulemaking, Project No. R411008 To the Commissioners, Although I applaud your efforts to curb the problem of unsolicited bulk e-mail, 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 very carefully. To require suppression lists will seriously damage many of the legitimate publications available on the net. My concern is for the publishers who already require permission from the consumer prior to adding them to any list … those who do so because it’s good business to build positive relationships with customers. The intent of CAN-SPAM is not to put these reputable publishers out of business, but this requirement will most likely have that effect. This proposed requirement also has a serious pitfall in that, like any list, a suppression list is easily transferred into the very spammer hands it is designed to stop … leading to more spam instead of less. As a consumer and a business owner, I am increasingly irritated by spam filters which inadvertently eliminate legitimate e-mail correspondence … correspondence that I rely on to conduct business, and correspondence that I simply enjoy and for which I have granted permission. I’m an adult and quite capable of sorting my own mail, whether delivered by the US Postal Service or by an Internet Service Provider. I was quite surprised at the potential problems this ruling could involve, and I urge you in the strongest possible terms to reconsider its implementation. Respectfully, Barbara Glupker Bridgeton, NJ USA