NUJ New Media

Yahoo, AOL and MSN censor truthout emails

Subscribers to the anti-war email news service at Californian news site Truthout.org have found messages diverted into their trash bins, and at Yahoo! blocked entirely, without explanation. This apparent censorship raises questions about the honesty and accountability of free email 'services' and whether those who sign up are actually getting the service they think they are entitled to.

I personally experienced exactly this one month or so ago when sending an invite by email to ex editor of the Independent on Sunday Rosie Boycott. She wrote back to me explaining that she had found my invitation in her trash folder and only noticed it because I had put the word URGENT in the subject heading. One wonders whether this is some ind of systematic policy?

Managers and PR people of these largely faceless free email services have still, since the problem was originally encountered on 14th September, failed to give an apology or a credible explanation. This sort of error, deliberate or otherwise, by the major players who provide free email services to the public round the world begs the question... If MSN, Hotmail, AOL and Yahoo can't be trusted with our mail then who can? I want out but where can I go?

Answers on a postcard please, or post a reply below on this blog. Personally I have found fastmail.fm to be reliable but there doesn't appear to be any quality control to speak of in place as these big corporations apparently use their market share to censor peace movement material they don't like and abuse the trust of their users allying themselves with the US war faction.

AOL/Microsoft-Hotmail Preventing Delivery of Truthout Communications

Here's what one truthout subscriber had to say.

Guys, just to let you know, I do receive my Truthout communications at my Yahoo e-mail address, -@yahoo.com, however, I have noticed this past week that they no longer appear in my Inbox. Rather, they are now always delegated automatically to my BULK folder. I have to check my Bulk to make sure they're Truthout's, and usually, they are.

So, they are coming through, but for some reason, are now delegated to the dump.

I will add your Truthout address to my address book to try and correct this problem - nothing for you to do on your end. I just thought that, in light of your message about Microsoft, this was a curious development.

Keep fighting for truth. We activist/bloggers out here fighting to end this war - I'm a Marine mom who's sent three family members to Iraq SIX times - and fighting to bring sanity back to govt can't do it without you guys.

Sincerely,
Deanie (TO Reader - Yahoo box holder)


And here are some of the people responsible.......


Brad Smith
Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, Legal & Corporate Affairs
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, Washington 98052-6399
Phone: 425-882-8080
Fax: 425-936-7329

Tom Burt
Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Litigation Group
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, Washington 98052-6399
Phone: 425-882-8080
Fax: 425-936-7329

Yahoo

Michael J. Callahan
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
701 First Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Tel: (408) 349-3300
Fax: (408) 349-3301

posted by Tony Gosling @ 16:30