Users can ask to be taken off the list, but will not get the free newsletters. Six million users of online auction site eBay who signed up between April and November recently received e-mail ads even though they said they didn't want any. EBay sent the ads to all new subscribers because it says its software, which was supposed to put people on e-mail lists unless they asked otherwise, malfunctioned. To stay off the list, users had to go back to the eBay site and opt out of the promotional messages for a second time. Privacy advocates say eBay should have asked users if they wanted the ads rather than put the onus on them to say no again.
Companies are wary of a backlash.
Too many e-mail pitches may turn consumers off or offend their sense of privacy. American Express now says it won't do that. On the flip side, the growing sophistication of Web sites' marketing policies can actually benefit consumers, experts say. Many sites have gotten better at letting users know they can avoid junk mail, even though that means they may forfeit their access to a service, says David Sorkin, a professor at The John Marshall Law School. When signing up for online services, give out that address.