Description:

A newsletter reader wrote to me asking a question about a particular web site that I mentioned in a previous newsletter. He was "worried" that the site might sell his e-mail address. I replied, "Who cares?" Let me explain. Here is an excerpt from the e-mail message I received: This sounds too good to be true, and so I am very curious as to the business model that [this site] is following. I am worried that they might sell my email address. Indeed, selling of e-mail addresses is a common and odorous activity on the web. Thousands of e-mail sites gather addresses and then sell them. Even more common, many web sites will bombard you with their own advertising.