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Dear Recipients of E-mails from isotopicmaps.org:<br>
<br>
Now it's Yahoo who has decided to block this forum's access to its
e-mail customers. We're again defending our
free-speech/freedom-of-assembly rights against loss by the
ham-handed and arbitrary policies of yet another multinational
corporation. In the past we've had the same drama with AT&T and
a very few other communications providers. (Operating a free forum
is an eye-opening experience. It adds to the pile of evidence that
no good deed goes unpunished.)<br>
<br>
Yahoo admits that it has blocked our server's access to all its
customers for no reason other than the fact that we seem to be
engaging in bulk mailing, and not because of any complaint.
Moreover, Yahoo says:<br>
"We will examine your email practices and policies "[which are none
of Yahoo's damn business!]", as well as your mailings' complaint
rates, in making our decision."<br>
<br>
Now I'm speaking to you folks who have yahoo email addresses (and
who therefore can't see this letter unless someone else forwards it
to you, hint hint): Did you know that Yahoo is deciding whose mail
you're going to be allowed to see? Did you know that Yahoo is
dictating the business practices of people who want to communicate
with you? Did you know that, if you want to receive mailings from a
forum like <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:sc34wg3@isotopicmaps.org">sc34wg3@isotopicmaps.org</a>, you may have to negotiate with
your e-mail provider before you'll be allowed to receive them?
Personally, I couldn't live with an e-mail provider who appoints
himself censor over all communications I might receive. I'd surely
get another e-mail provider.<br>
<br>
I have written the following to Yahoo's postmaster, on the intrusive
form I was required to fill out before service *might* be restored:<br>
<br>
<blockquote>If you don't restore our forum's
(<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.isotopicmaps.org/mailman/listinfo/sc34wg3">http://www.isotopicmaps.org/mailman/listinfo/sc34wg3</a>) access to
your customers, it's no problem for us, but it might be for them.
We are, of course, informing them that it's only because they
insist on using Yahoo's email service that they can't receive the
forum traffic, and that Yahoo admits they are blocking e-mail not
because of any complaint, but rather because of a ham-handed
policy of harassment of anyone who happens to operate a forum that
has Yahoo addressees. We provide our forum as a public service,
and unlike Yahoo's forum service, we don't put an advertisement at
the bottom of each e-mail we send. Since we have caused neither
Yahoo nor its customers any problem of which we're aware, we can
only consider our need to fill out this form as a kind of
harassment by Yahoo. It doesn't take a lot of reasoning to
conjecture that Yahoo wishes to convert our mailing list into an
advertisement-carrying list under the Yahoo banner. Yahoo can
expect us to file an FCC complaint about Yahoo's pre-emptive and
unjustified harassment in this matter.<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
Steven R. Newcomb<br>
<br>
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