KEY POINTS:
I think we're all agreed that anti-spam legislation is a good thing to have in place as it gives us recourse to the law if local companies start bulk emailing people without their consent.
But in the last few weeks, the legislation has actually created more unwanted email than
it has eliminated as hundreds of companies have contacted their customers, in many cases twice, to encourage them to confirm that they want to continue receiving email messages. Other bloggers have focused on this before, Rod Drury here and Aardvark just today.
I haven't received any illegal email from companies since yesterday (when the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act came into effect) asking me to confirm my place on their mailing list like Aardvark did. But I'm still a little perplexed by a few of the emails I did receive before the cut-off date.
For instance, my electricity provider Genesis Energy emailed me on July 25th, offering me the chance to go into the draw to win $1000 by opting in to their email database.
"Obviously, you wouldn't have received this if you hadn't given us your email address already! But we need your formal consent before we can send you any further emails. It won't take a moment to opt in," wrote Genesis.
I decided not to opt in or to do anything but ignore the email. But then came this on August 28 - "We emailed you recently about the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act, which comes into force in September 2007. That means if you want to receive occasional Genesis Energy news, offers and information the environmentally friendly way, you need to give us your consent."
"We haven't received it yet, so here's a reminder to give your consent before Friday 31 August 2007 if you want your chance in the draw to win one of six prizes of $1,000*!"
Surely my lack of action on the first email was a sign I didn't want to opt in. So why did the second one have to be sent? Well, probably because it wasn't illegal to do so before September 5 so Genesis decided to make a last play for my ongoing attention.
On the 3rd of September, Christchurch company Zodal emailed me with the following:
"By clicking on this link, you confirm that we are able to email you from time to time with interesting articles on technology and Zodal news and services. You need to click this link to continue receiving emails from us in the future."
Sounds reasonable. Then Zodal added:
"If you would like to unsubscribe from this list, please use the link at the footer of this email."
It's not that I have no interest in receiving updates on Zodal, which is a very innovative little company based in Christchurch, but doesn't a lack of reply on my part indicate a desire not to be on the list. Why then do I need to unsubscribe from the list?
So from now on, unless you have given consent to receiving a commercial electronic message by ticking a box on a website or accepting the invite of a customer service representative, you shouldn't receive any email from New Zealand companies that you aren't expecting. It will be interesting to see how that goes.
Meanwhile, a look at my spam folder shows 52 new messages overnight from overseas sources, which indicates just how significant the September 5 deadline was to our bulk-emailing tormentors abroad.