Comments:

To the Commissioners, I commend your efforts to solve the problem of unsolicited bulk email. (Although I think you're barking up the wrong tree with most of the Act you have brought in - it's one thing to be seen to be doing something, anything, when there's a perceived problem, but the Act as it stands seems, if anything, to have resulted in more spam than before. Once again, it's legitimate business people who get hit hard and the people who cause problems for everybody continue to get away with doing just that. Your suppression list idea is simply unworkable in the form that you propose it. If it is your intention to destroy Online business, then you're going about it the right way. Legitimate Online businesses simply will not be able to comply with this legislation. 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. 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. They're not who CAN-SPAM was designed to put out of business, but this requirement will almost certainly have that effect. 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. I have seen a lot of ill-thought out ideas in my time but this is so obviously from the minds of people who simply have no idea about Internet business from the perspective of legitimate businesses or consumers that it almost beggars belief. I respectfully suggest that you ask the opinion of a few more people who have the experience you so patently do not and stop foisting on us a spammers charter whilst kidding yourselves that you're doing the opposite. Yours faithfully, Alan Allport *REDACTED PERSONAL INFORMATION* West Midlands United Kingdom