Here an email I wrote around Christmas 2007:
Hello there,
this morning I received a hoax email with the name, email address and sometimes even occupation of close to 300 people! In New Zealand, this breaches the "Privacy Act 1993" about 300 times !! In other countries, it breaches the equivalent privacy act/regulations!!
Please read, understand and send this email to people who breach the privacy act in the same manner.
Did you ever send mass emails and published the email address of others? If so, then ask yourself:
How would you feel, if all people, whose email address you published, write your mobile number on public walls all over the country?
I guess, you would be upset and call your lawyer. How come, you expect other people, not to sue you?
It is not necessary to break the privacy of people to send x-mas wishes or funny emails !
Do not use CC or TO for mass emails, use BCC instead, read on to learn how to do it right !
Respect others right to privacy by not giving out their email in mass emails
Before forwarding emails. ensure they are not a hoax. You can do this by:
- Copying the subject into google and see the result
- Checking out websites like http://www.hoax-slayer.com
http://www.netstuff.com.au/support/use_bcc_please.htm:
Would you write your friends' phone numbers on the walls of public places?
If you answer no, then why would you spread their E-mail addresses to a bunch of strangers, many of whom will in turn forward the same addresses to even more strangers? Don't do it! Instead, use the BCC feature of your E-mail program.
Why do this?
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Using BCC protects your recipients' E-mail addresses from being spread to strangers.
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Using BCC helps prevent SPAM (Unsolicited Commercial E-mail)
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When using BCC, messages will be easier on your readers because they will be smaller, with fewer addresses on each message. They will even download faster.
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Using BCC shows your consideration of others by not publishing hundreds of your friends' addresses to strangers and potentially, SPAMMERS or maybe even stalkers.
Privacy Act 1993 (privacy.org.nz):
...
6 Information privacy principles
...
Principle 11 Limits on disclosure of personal information
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That the disclosure is authorised by the individual concerned
Spam for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (from MinterEllisonRuddWatts Lawyers):
http://www.privacy.org.nz/filestore/docfiles/1490516.pdf
http://smartwomenstupidcomputers.com/How-to-fight-Spam!.html :
How On Earth Did They Get My Email Address???
How do all these spammers get my address when I didn’t give it to them?
Never send out a group mailing with all your friends’ emails listed in the CC: at the top.
Respect others right to privacy by not giving out their email in mass emails
If you find something worth passing on, something that good, email it to one person at a time using the BCC feature all email programs offer.
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