[arachne] Re: Why did the AOL postmaster censor my email message?

From: "Eric S. Emerson" <wildrice5@xxxxxxxx>
To: arachne@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 12:49:12 -0500
Arachne at FreeLists---The Arachne Fan Club!

Hi Wiz,
               I am aware of all you wrote. However,
if AOL did the same thing with USPS mail, it
would be considered tampering with the mail.
That is against the law and penalties are metered
out on anyone convicted of tampering with the
U.S. Mail.

Eric

On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 23:43:40 -0600 Glenn Gilbreath Jr.
<wizard57m@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> Arachne at FreeLists---The Arachne Fan Club!
> 
> Eric,
> The USPS probably already "screens" your 
> regular postl mail more than you realize!  As for
> AOL, well, it is designed to be "the Internet on
> Training Wheels"...when most users get a bit 
> more familiar with the ways of the web, they
> move on to other ISPs...I keep an AOL account
> around for my children to use.
> C U L8R!
> Wiz  <{;-)
> At 12/30/99, you wrote:
> >arachne4dos @coollist.com General List ----------------
> >
> >Sam H.,              
> >                How would you like it if the USPS
> >screened your mail the way AOL screens
> >email? <ggg>
> >
> >Eric
> >
> >On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 19:52:21 -0800 (PST) "Eric S. Emerson"
> ><wildrice5@xxxxxxxx> writes:
> >> arachne4dos @coollist.com General List ----------------
> >> 
> >> Hi Sam H.,
> >>                        As I have said before.....the problem
> >> with emails is that they can't be put in envelopes!
> >> <ggg>
> >> 
> >> Eric
> >> 
> >> On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 19:21:49 -0800 (PST) "Samuel W. Heywood"
> >> <sheywood@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> >> > Hello:
> >> > 
> >> > Recently I sent an email message to an AOL user in which I 
> named a
> >> > very useful URL which provides reverse zip code lookup.
> >> > 
> >> > I sent the message and the URL to him for the purpose of 
> helping 
> >> him
> >> > to track down whatever might have become of a package he had 
> >> shipped
> >> > to me.
> >> > 
> >> > In responding to my email inquiry in which I asked him if he 
> had 
> >> > shipped
> >> > to me the item I had ordered from him, he said that he had 
> shipped 
> >> 
> >> > it on
> >> > January 3rd via USPS priority mail.  He gave me the address to 
> >> which 
> >> > he
> >> > had shipped the item.  Right addressee, right street address, 
> >> right 
> >> > town,
> >> > right state, but wrong zip code.  Also he named a USPS tracking 
> 
> >> code 
> >> > for
> >> > the package and he said he would investigate the problem.  It 
> >> > appears that
> >> > he had mis-transposed the third and fourth numbers of my five 
> >> digit 
> >> > zip
> >> > code.  He said he would contact USPS to try to find out what 
> >> > happened with
> >> > the package.
> >> > 
> >> > The AOL postmaster bounced my reply to him in which I told him 
> >> about 
> >> > his
> >> > error in the zip code.  The bounced mail blurb I received from 
> the 
> >> 
> >> > AOL
> >> > postmater said that he had bounced my message on the grounds 
> that 
> >> > the URL
> >> > I had named in my email message had been generating a 
> substantial 
> >> > number
> >> > of complaints from AOL users.
> >> > 
> >> > BTW, the allegedly much complained about URL is
> >> > 
> >> >
> >>
>
>http://zipcodes.addresses.com/results.php?ReportType=42&amp;refer=&amp;a
d
> >> word=
> >> > People Search | White &amp; Yellow Pages | Phone Numbers | 
> Email 
> >> > Addresses
> >> > 
> >> > I edited the message and I sent it again to the person with 
> whom I 
> >> 
> >> > was
> >> > conducting business.  My edited version of the message was not 
> >> > bounced.
> >> > In my editing I struck out the name of the "evil" URL and I 
> >> > expressed to
> >> > him my bewilderment with AOL's censorship.  I told him he could 
> 
> >> very
> >> > quickly find the URL simply by conducting a google search on 
> zip 
> >> > code and
> >> > "reverse lookup".  That is how I found the URL.
> >> > 
> >> > Why would AOL users complain about such a useful URL?  Also, 
> what 
> >> > business
> >> > is it of AOL to censor emails about perfectly legitimate 
> business
> >> > transactions?
> >> > 
> >> > Sam Heywood


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[arachne] Re: Why did the AOL postmaster censor my email message?

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