Patent ID: 7562119

Claim:
A computer implemented method for modifying a list of permitted senders used by electronic mail (email) access control devices, said method comprising: under control of a recipient: initiating a subscription event by transmitting a recipient identifier to the sender; under control of the sender: receiving the recipient identifier as part of the subscription event; transmitting sender information along with a petition provider identifier to the recipient; under control of the recipient: transmitting the sender information to a petition provider identified by the petition provider identifier, wherein the petition provider creates a petition on behalf of the sender as a result of having obtained the sender information from the recipient, the petition comprising a request to modify the email access list of the recipient; receiving, by way of a web browser on the recipient, the petition from the petition provider, said petition being stored in a computer readable storage medium, wherein the petition is transmitted via hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) as part of an interaction with a web page; determining whether the petition received from the petition provider is acceptable based on at least one of: 1) a sender identity verification method; 2) user input; and 3) third party information; and modifying said access list of permitted senders of the recipient such that the sender is added to the list of permitted senders if the petition is determined to be acceptable, wherein as a result of a successful petition, the sender will be allowed to bypass all email filters of the recipient.