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02 Mar 2006
A consortium of over 50 organisations is organising a fight for the right to free email after AOL announced its plans for a fee charging service.
Groups as diverse as the Democratic National Committee, Gun Owners of America, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and the Association of Cancer Online Resources have joined forces to fight AOL's plans to charge companies a fee to become 'certified' email customers which can then avoid spam filters.
"Today, our coalition of more than 50 groups representing some 15m people launched this campaign to fight AOL's new pay-to-send email scheme," said the 'Stop AOL's Email Tax' group on its blog.
"Cumulatively, these groups count more than three million AOL subscribers as members, or in excess of 15 per cent of AOL's customer base.
"While the organisations occupy almost every corner of the political landscape, we are united in opposition to AOL's plan to make large group emailers pay to bypass the email company's Swiss cheese spam filters and get guaranteed delivery to the inboxes of AOL customers."
The group feels that AOL's stance will lead to a two-tier internet, where those who can afford to pay will get preferential service. It also suggests that the policy will induce AOL to downgrade its existing spam filters to try and drive more companies into paying for email.
AOL spokesman Nicholas Graham has issued a rebuttal of the campaign's points, which has been posted on the website.
"We continue to provide exceptional service to all email senders who conform to our antispam guidelines," Graham writes.
"In fact, CertifiedEmail serves as a valuable new standard and threshold for the delivery of legitimate email that will serve as a guidepost for other email senders to follow and adhere to."
However, in less than 24 hours nearly 3,000 people have signed an online petition to AOL and the numbers are growing fast. The website also has an open letter to AOL which concerned internet users are asked to deliver to the ISP.
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Do you agree?
Why not treat AOL as spam
Has no-one at AOL considered the possibility that people wanting to nip this in the bud could form an alliance which blocks any AOL address, effectively treating it as spam? It would then be a case of what's the point of charging for something that won't be received?
Posted by: Paul.S. 04 Mar 2006
AOL heading for trouble
Several years ago I had received disk after disk from AOL to join (in the dial-up days). I quickly found out that AOL was spending way too much money on advertising and lacking on the service. I then decided to go with a local ISP and the level of service was incredible. Ever since I have often told others to avoid AOL. Others were doing the same on the chat networks. AOL has become too commercial and those left on AOL, as a personal opinion, are those who are either too scared to go with someone else or lack knowledge about the Internet. With another step like this, I wonder how AOL even survives in todays market.
Posted by: Martyr2 02 Mar 2006
AOL alias Arrogance Online alias Awful Online
AOL are at times, or most of the time. A total pain to users of other ISP's with their constant dirty tricks. Blocking e-mails from other ISP's. Their invasive publicity, their CD's, etc. AOL's sheer breathtaking arrogance. Their sofware, as a previous correspondent wrote is extremely & can be almost impossible to remove without completely re-formatting & re-install of Windows. Worse in fact, than spyware, malware & some viruses, trojans, etc. They are also control freaks. I am not & never been an AOL user, but have helped others re-install their PC's after leaving AOL. May I commend the organisations & individuals that are opposing AOL's latest scam.
Posted by: Alan Brown 02 Mar 2006
AOL sucks
I was an AOL customer. I left AOL for good because they invade your system and if you are not a computer wizz you start having problems with your computer. Then, when you try to get out of AOL the problems get worse. To me, the charge for e-mail proposed is just the continuance of AOL's abuses to customers and it needs to be stopped.
Posted by: Miguel Seda 02 Mar 2006