Family and friends began to ask for it. That led to the organization's formation. Most often, MAPS gets tips from consumers about potential spammers. Then, MAPS calls the individual or company. To avoid being listed, MAPS requires them to verify that every person signed up for the mailing list they use actually wants to be on that list.
Online marketers say that's too onerous.
And some suggest that marketers should be able to market to anyone who doesn't specifically say they don't want to be on e-mail lists. So far, no standard has emerged. Love it or hate it, experts say that MAPS is filling a much-needed role in regulating the Internet. This year, marketers are expected to send 200 million e-mails in hopes of attracting new customers, says Christopher Todd, an analyst with Jupiter Research. That number is expected to grow to 1 billion by 2005.