As many of you know AOL is contemplating a pay to send email plan. So
I'm protesting it by doing a DEFER on my lowest MX record server. The
other server will accept AOL email, but the DEFER puts a line in AOL log
files every time AOL tries to send email to one of my users. Of course
it might not even get noticed if just I do it so I'm encouraging others
who don't like pay to email to do the same thing. It only adds a few
seconds to the delivery time from AOL because they immediately try the
next highest MX and that will accept AOL mail. Here's my code.
.ifdef LOWEST_MX
defer message = WE PROTEST AOL PAY TO SEND EMAIL PLAN!
hosts = *.aol.com
.endif
Obviously you need a higher second MX record for this to work.
What is this all about? here's what the Electronic Frontier Foundation
is saying about it.
* Tell AOL To Drop Its Pay-To-Send Email Plan
We're extremely troubled by AOL's plan to introduce a pay-
to-send email system that will guarantee access to AOL customers'
inboxes for senders who pay $0.0025 per mail to escape anti-spam
filters. Last week, we helped assemble a coalition to persuade AOL to
drop this misguided scheme.
Our worry is that AOL is trying to sell preferred access to something
that it does not own -- its members inboxes -- and creating a delivery
charge to email senders. The system creates a perverse incentive for AOL
to lower the benefits of free email delivery and let its spam filters
languish, encouraging senders to switch to the for-pay alternative. The
company's first steps confirmed this, as they declared (then hurriedly
denied) that they would be dropping their Enhanced Whitelist, a free
service for trusted email senders.
One might trust that the market will eventually sort this out: rewarding
ISPs that do not sell access to their users' inboxes and that work to
improve deliverability for everyone, not just senders who pay. But the
market speaks slowly -- in the meantime, this system will push small
speakers into a choice of paying or not being sure that their messages
are getting through to their members. And recipients often won't know
what mail they are not receiving, making it difficult for the market to
work.
Many AOL users have significant impediments to moving away from their
provider, with its proprietary and closed software. Meanwhile, other
mail providers, like Yahoo!, are already eyeing the revenue
opportunities of pay-to-send. Microsoft's Bonded Sender is actually
worse in many ways.
Since AOL's members are also the members of the nonprofits and other
groups that would be hurt by this program, we thought it should hear
from them. That's why we pulled together a diverse coalition of email
senders to oppose AOL's pay-to-send system. Over fifty groups with
nearly 15 million members joined with us, including Free Press, the U.S.
Humane Society, the Gun Owners of America, MoveOn.org, RightMarch.com,
the AFL-CIO, and Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility.
Around 30,000 individuals have signed our petition, including Tim
O'Reilly, Michael Geist and Chris Pirillo.
Earlier today, AOL made its first concessions in this battle. We're sure
that, with your support, it will make more. If you'd like to help, visit
Dear AOL, and help us help AOL avoid making a terrible mistake.
Take Action, and Sign our Letter: <
http://www.dearaol.com/>
AOL Announces it is Dropping its Whitelist:
<
http://www.the-dma.org/cgi/dispnewsstand?article=4405+++++>
Our Deep Link on AOL's system:
<
http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004398.php>
