posted on August 26, 2001 10:29:33 AM new
Last year I won an item on an internet auction. I recently discovered that my feedback including my e-mail address is listed as a testimonial both on the company's website and on Yahoo's search engine, as they are the host. I know that it is a common practice to use testimonials for promotion but companies traditionally use initials or a name and no city, etc. to ensure privacy or get releases to use a person's full name. Giving an e-mail address leads to spam and not coincidentally I have noticed an increase in my spam since around the time I gave the feedback. I just did not connect the two until recently. Does anyone know if Yahoo's privacy agreement is violated and whether or not any laws govern revealing e-mail addresses without a release?
posted on August 27, 2001 06:52:34 AM new
Actually all e-mail addresses are "unlisted" until you contact someone directly and it is revealed by your choice. A company which gives out your e-mail address for a reference without your approval is giving out an "unlisted number" IMHO. Am I not correct in saying that there are no e-mail directories? The numerous "opt out" mailings that we have all recently received(including one from the MIB(medical information bureau)(!) are indicative of national concern for privacy.
posted on August 27, 2001 06:57:35 AM new
There ARE email directories. You can probably find one on whichever homepage you use. I'm not sure how entries get in there, but I was once able to use one of them to contact a person who had bought from me, and the nine year old daughter of some longlost cousin of mine found me and my email through some connection to our common last names.
