Comment Much Ado About Nothing (Score 1) 277
This has been way overhyped and misrepresented.
From http://www.goodmailsystems.com/certifiedmail/
The Facts About CertifiedEmail
* FACT: AOL and Yahoo! are not taxing email.
There is no 'email' tax. A tax is something one is required to pay. Taxes are uniformly imposed charges agreed to by a recognized & responsible government entity. Qualifying senders may elect to use CertifiedEmail at their option, the same way a sender of traditional mail might elect to use Express mail or regular USPS mail. Consumers will not pay anything to send or receive email!
* FACT: Small business and non-profits will not have to pay for something that used to be free.
First of all, no one has to pay. The service is optional. First class email has not suffered with the introduction of priority and Express Mail. With CertifiedEmail there is literally no change in the ability of Internet users to participate however they desire, nor will any user incur any new charges. Optional offerings, such as CertifiedEmail, allow ISPs to provide better and better services to those who choose them, and in turn provide a higher degree of safety to their members.
* FACT: The purpose of CertifiedEmail is to identify "good" mail, not to prevent spam.
Goodmail's goal is to raise the bar on sender behavior so that messages are not second-guessed by filters and instead follow a direct path to the inbox with a visual identification that the message is good. Goodmail has never suggested CertifiedEmail is the silver bullet for all of email's ills, or that it will prevent spam from getting into the inbox.
* FACT: Spammers can not pay to reach AOL and Yahoo! email inboxes.
The Goodmail service will NOT increase the amount of spam consumers receive. CertifiedEmail messages will be delivered only from senders that have obtained prior permission from recipients. CertifiedEmail is only for permissioned email from accredited senders who must meet strict qualifying criteria and agree to Goodmail's Acceptable Use and Security Policy. Qualified, accountable organizations will use the service only to communicate with existing, "opt in" customers.
* FACT: AOL and Yahoo! will not profit from spam and phishing protection.
ISPs currently bear the full burden of addressing the spam problem. The average ISP now spends $8-12 per subscriber per year on email hygiene, an expense that can only hurt the availability of low cost internet access and free email services. While Goodmail does share an appropriate portion of the revenue from CertifiedEmail with the ISPs to help defray the high cost of fighting spam, it is only a fraction of the amount they are already spending to protect their members' inboxes.
* FACT: Goodmail will offer a generous program for non-profits.
Some non-profits, like the American Red Cross, who's brands are targets of online fraud and phishing, will choose CertifiedEmail. Those who have had no issues with fraud and are satisfied with their current practices, will not need the service. Some opponents base their rhetoric on this fear. Be assured, the service is not required to get "good" mail through. Non-profits who see the benefits of the service will be able to try the service for free throughout 2006. Beyond 2006, Goodmail will provide generous discounts to non-profits and price CertifiedEmail as low as possible yet maintain the system's integrity and security.
* FACT: Goodmail and its ISP partners will only allow legitimate, qualified senders to use CertifiedEmail.
The value of CertifiedEmail is based on its ongoing integrity. Therefore, Goodmail maintains very high standards and rigorous qualifying criteria in providing the CertfiedEmail service to interested companies and organizations. To do anything less would be bad for our business.
* FACT: CertifedEmail will support free choice and free speech
CertifiedEmail is not about blocking speech or choice. It's about making sure it's heard. It's about respecting consumers' choice to receive or say "no" to email. To use the service, organizations with poor mailing habits will have to clean up their mailing lists and respect the rights of consumers who don't want to receive their email.
* FACT: Email is and will always be a competitive market - ISPs and Goodmail will not create a monopoly.
ISPs serve their members. It's a very competitive market. If an ISP blocked unpaid messages that their members want to receive, they would simply switch providers. Goodmail is only one of many options that ISP's can use. AOL and Yahoo decided to work with Goodmail because of the quality and sophistication of its CertifiedEmail platform. The field has and will continue to be more and more competitive.
From http://www.goodmailsystems.com/certifiedmail/
The Facts About CertifiedEmail
* FACT: AOL and Yahoo! are not taxing email.
There is no 'email' tax. A tax is something one is required to pay. Taxes are uniformly imposed charges agreed to by a recognized & responsible government entity. Qualifying senders may elect to use CertifiedEmail at their option, the same way a sender of traditional mail might elect to use Express mail or regular USPS mail. Consumers will not pay anything to send or receive email!
* FACT: Small business and non-profits will not have to pay for something that used to be free.
First of all, no one has to pay. The service is optional. First class email has not suffered with the introduction of priority and Express Mail. With CertifiedEmail there is literally no change in the ability of Internet users to participate however they desire, nor will any user incur any new charges. Optional offerings, such as CertifiedEmail, allow ISPs to provide better and better services to those who choose them, and in turn provide a higher degree of safety to their members.
* FACT: The purpose of CertifiedEmail is to identify "good" mail, not to prevent spam.
Goodmail's goal is to raise the bar on sender behavior so that messages are not second-guessed by filters and instead follow a direct path to the inbox with a visual identification that the message is good. Goodmail has never suggested CertifiedEmail is the silver bullet for all of email's ills, or that it will prevent spam from getting into the inbox.
* FACT: Spammers can not pay to reach AOL and Yahoo! email inboxes.
The Goodmail service will NOT increase the amount of spam consumers receive. CertifiedEmail messages will be delivered only from senders that have obtained prior permission from recipients. CertifiedEmail is only for permissioned email from accredited senders who must meet strict qualifying criteria and agree to Goodmail's Acceptable Use and Security Policy. Qualified, accountable organizations will use the service only to communicate with existing, "opt in" customers.
* FACT: AOL and Yahoo! will not profit from spam and phishing protection.
ISPs currently bear the full burden of addressing the spam problem. The average ISP now spends $8-12 per subscriber per year on email hygiene, an expense that can only hurt the availability of low cost internet access and free email services. While Goodmail does share an appropriate portion of the revenue from CertifiedEmail with the ISPs to help defray the high cost of fighting spam, it is only a fraction of the amount they are already spending to protect their members' inboxes.
* FACT: Goodmail will offer a generous program for non-profits.
Some non-profits, like the American Red Cross, who's brands are targets of online fraud and phishing, will choose CertifiedEmail. Those who have had no issues with fraud and are satisfied with their current practices, will not need the service. Some opponents base their rhetoric on this fear. Be assured, the service is not required to get "good" mail through. Non-profits who see the benefits of the service will be able to try the service for free throughout 2006. Beyond 2006, Goodmail will provide generous discounts to non-profits and price CertifiedEmail as low as possible yet maintain the system's integrity and security.
* FACT: Goodmail and its ISP partners will only allow legitimate, qualified senders to use CertifiedEmail.
The value of CertifiedEmail is based on its ongoing integrity. Therefore, Goodmail maintains very high standards and rigorous qualifying criteria in providing the CertfiedEmail service to interested companies and organizations. To do anything less would be bad for our business.
* FACT: CertifedEmail will support free choice and free speech
CertifiedEmail is not about blocking speech or choice. It's about making sure it's heard. It's about respecting consumers' choice to receive or say "no" to email. To use the service, organizations with poor mailing habits will have to clean up their mailing lists and respect the rights of consumers who don't want to receive their email.
* FACT: Email is and will always be a competitive market - ISPs and Goodmail will not create a monopoly.
ISPs serve their members. It's a very competitive market. If an ISP blocked unpaid messages that their members want to receive, they would simply switch providers. Goodmail is only one of many options that ISP's can use. AOL and Yahoo decided to work with Goodmail because of the quality and sophistication of its CertifiedEmail platform. The field has and will continue to be more and more competitive.
