[sc34wg3] if you get this, you're not a Yahoo customer

[Steve Newcomb]

Dear Recipients of E-mails from isotopicmaps.org:

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.)

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:
"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."

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 
sc34wg3 at isotopicmaps.org, 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.

I have written the following to Yahoo's postmaster, on the intrusive 
form I was required to fill out before service *might* be restored:

    If you don't restore our forum's
    (http://www.isotopicmaps.org/mailman/listinfo/sc34wg3) 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.


Steven R. Newcomb

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