DON'T FORGET YOUR E-MAIL STAMP !

are you ready to pay for the privilege of 'preferential treatment ' of your e-mail ? get ready to lick a stamp and put it on your e-mail before posting it. if you have any 'penny blacks', i'll be glad to exchange them for the new e-mail postage. hbg
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Stamp of approval for e-postage
By James Moore (Filed: 06/02/2006)


Two of the world's biggest email account providers are to roll out a system giving preferential treatment to companies that pay for an e-postage stamp guaranteeing delivery.

AOL and Yahoo will certify the emails from companies which pay up to 1c for delivery and agree to a tough code of conduct. Millions of internet users hold email accounts with the two companies.

AOL and Yahoo already operate "white lists" for companies that agree to conditions before sending mail but the new service goes further.

The code demands that companies signing up have adequate systems to combat spam and will only send to customers who have signed up to receive their emails.

The internet companies believe the system will help them to identify legitimate email while clamping down on junk mail, identity theft scams and other nuisances that plague their users.

Companies that sign up will benefit by having their emails certified so consumers know they can safely open them.

Their emails will also go straight to users' main mailboxes, so they will not need to pass filters that could divert them to a junk email box.

Critics say the new class of emails could alienate companies and users. The system will apply not only to mass marketing emails but also to services such as order confirmations from online retailers.

Offering such preferential treatment is also a significant change to the economics of the internet. On Tuesday, America's Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing to consider legislation to ensure "net neutrality", that will ban net-access companies from offering certain content providers preferred status.

The email will be processed by Goodmail Systems, a California company.

29 November 2000: E-Stamp postage over the net is licked by enormous costs


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