Wallace says that he's only trying to make an honest living and that people on his list ask to be there. They appreciate the service, he says. Since then, all the additions are volunteers, he claims. Tell that to Mark Welch , a lawyer who has posted a running list of complaints on this score. He and many AOL members have complained that getting off Cyber Promotions' list is about as easy as making a comment on its Web site, where you can check one of two buttons, like it or love it.
Emails are blithely ignored, they say.
All the while, Wallace has no real legal obligation to actually remove anyone from any list. Holly Cherico, counsel for the Better Business Bureau's national organization, says the BBB will start taking online complaints at its Web site soon. There's been talk about extending the Telephone Consumer Protection Act , the law that outlaws junk faxes and unwanted telephone solicitations, to email. In fact, some people even argue that the law can already be applied to email, though there's been no test case. Wallace has admitted to doing exactly what other junk mailers do.