Comments:

Re: CAN-SPAM Act Rulemaking, Project No. R411008 Commissioners, I am glad you are trying to address the serious problem of unsolicited bulk email. However, I have real concerns about the proposed requirement for merchants to maintain "suppression lists". There are many problems and costs associated with this idea, and I believe that it may hurt both consumers and businesses alike. Here is my thinking on this: If you require the use of suppression lists, that will seriously damage many of the legitimate publications available on the net. My specific worry is that it will hurt publishers who require permission from the consumer prior to adding them to any list. Although it is not CAN-SPAM's intention to put publishers out of business, this requirement may well have that effect. It's also possible that this may hurt consumers, because these suppression lists could easily fall into the hands of spammers, leading to more spam instead of less. Already, it is most unsafe to fill out "remove" links; doing so may well cause a FLOOD, instead of a trickle, of unsolicited email, as it confirms that the addressee is maintaining an active mailbox. I urge you to reconsider the implementation of CAN-SPAM in light of these problems, and delay it's implementation until these concerns can be adequately addressed. Respectfully, Marilyn Morgan Massachusetts, USA