Spam Law Test

Testing the CAN-SPAM Act

Using a unique e-mail address for each Web site, we signed up to receive newsletters and other marketing materials from 100 sites identified by ComScore Media Metrix and Nielsen/Netratings as being among the most visited Web destinations. We then tried to unsubscribe, using opt-out links in the e-mail we received. Below is a list of the sites, organized by category.

Adult (4)

• Adult FriendFinder
• AEBN (Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network)
• BrainPass.com (Peter North)
• MILFhunter.com

Business/Finance (9)

• CoolSavings
• Forbes.com
• JPMorgan Chase
• LendingTree
• MSN Money
• Netscape Money & Business
• PayPal
• Skype Technologies
• Yahoo Finance

Entertainment (16)

• Disney Online
• Eight Days (Hot or Not?)
• Electronic Arts Online
• GameSpy.com
• Intermix Media (GameRival)
• Miniclip.com
• Moviefone
• Musician's Friend
• PopCap Games
• RealNetwork.com (Real.com)
• RealNetworks (Gamehouse.com)
• Shockwave.com
• Sony USA
• Viacom Online (MTV.com)
• Warner Music Group (www.wmg.com)
• Yahoo Launch

Free Stuff (4)

• FreeFlatScreens.com
• FreeiPods.com
• Publishers Clearing House (PCH.com)
• YourGiftCard.com (Free-Bracelet.com)

General News (10)

• ABCNews.com
• CNN.com
• Discovery.com
• IBS Network (TheBostonChannel.com)
• Knight Ridder Digital
• MSNBC.com
• New York Times Digital
• Tribune Newspapers (Tribune Interactive)
• USAToday.com
• Yahoo News

Health (8)

• Drugs.com
• Drugstore.com
• EDiets.com
• EMedicine
• MSN Health
• Trimlife.com
• Walgreens.com
• WebMD

Lotteries/Sweepstakes/Gambling (9)

• Casino City
• Dreamamint (3Turtles.com)
• FreeLotto
• IGlobalMedia Entertainment (PartyBingo.com)
• IWon.com
• Jackpot City Casino
• LuckySurf.com
• Starluck Casino Online
• Uproar Network (Uproar)

Retail (20)

• Amazon.com
• American Greetings (AG.com)
• EBags
• EBay
• Hewlett-Packard (HP.com)
• L.L. Bean
• Next Tag
• Oldnavy.com
• Overstock.com
• Sears.com
• Shopping.com
• Snapfish
• Target.com
• Ticketmaster.com
• VersionTracker.com
• VistaPrint
• Walmart.com
• Whenu.com
• Yahoo Shopping
• Zappos.com

Sports (9)

• CBS SportsLine.com Sites
• College Sports Television (CollegeSports.com)
• ESPN.com
• FoxSports.com
• MLB.com
• NASCAR.com
• NBA Internet Network
• NFL.com
• Sports Illustrated (SI.com)

Travel (9)

• CheapTickets
• Expedia
• Hotels.com
• Orbitz
• Priceline.com
• SideStep
• Southwest.com
• Travelocity.com
• TripAdvisor

Weather (2)

• AccuWeather.com
• Weather Channel (Weather.com)

The Results

Following are the Web sites that either failed to stop the flow of e-mail to our inbox within ten days of our unsubscribe request (the grace period specified in the CAN-SPAM Act) or included no postal address in their e-mail.

Companies that continued to send us e-mail ten days after we opted out:

• Amazon.com
• BrainPass.com (Peter North)
• FreeLotto
• IWon.com
• MILFhunter.com
• NFL.com
• SideStep
• Viacom Online (MTV.com)

Companies that stopped sending e-mail but failed to stop mail from marketing partners:

• Jackpot City Casino
• Uproar Network (Uproar)
• Weather Channel (Weather.com)
• YourGiftCard.com (Free-Bracelet.com)

Companies that didn't include an opt-out link in their e-mail:

• American Greetings (AG.com)
• IBS Network (TheBostonChannel.com)

Company whose opt-out link did not work:

• GameSpy.com

Companies that honored our unsubscribe request but didn't include a postal address in their e-mail:

• College Sports Television (CollegeSports.com)
• Eight Days (Hot or Not?)
• FoxSports.com
• Moviefone
• PopCap Games
• Sports Illustrated (SI.com)
• Tribune Newspapers (Tribune Interactive)