Here is a quick update to my last post regarding the release of email addresses by my State Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
I just posted two messages to my State Senators regarding the release of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s newsletter subscriber list per the order of the Maine state Attorney Generals Office. Here is what I sent:
I just received an email from the Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife telling me that they just released their subscriber list to an individual that asked for it.
This is quite disturbing. I understand that the Maine Attorney Generals Office made the decision to release the list according to the statute, but really?
I think I may have discovered why I constantly get flooded with Viagra, sex, and pharmacy emails, even though I do not give out my email to anyone that I don’t trust will keep it confidential.
I am sure the individual that now has the list will surely abide by the Can Spam act right? I mean, I have to with my subscriber list. Yeah, the one I had to force my subscribers to opt in TWICE before I can send anything to them. See the irony here?
How about we take a look at that Freedom of Information act and make a tiny change that says the subscriber list is off limits huh? It just takes a bit of common sense to realize this is a huge problem.
Oh, I did send a complaint to the Attorney Generals Office. It was about them allowing the release of the list. Will they investigate themselves I wonder…
I would love a response.
Thanks.
Not shown in that message is another sentence I added to Senator Snowes message just before I sent it. Of course, I had copied the message before I added it, so I will have to just give you an approximation:
Oh, I see that my email address is required to send you this message. Great, ANOTHER list that can be given to any spammer that asks for it.
I have a great idea! Lets all visit our Local, State or Federal office and get their subscriber list. Can you imagine how many names we could collect? YEE HA! we can now have millions of potential customers and all we have to do is ask for a list someone else had to build legally.
Comments?
I came across your blog while googling this very issue to see if anyone was discussing it online. We received the same email today (though we live out of state). My husband has hunted in Maine…so obviously that is why we got this today. We are pissed. I want to know just WHO got our email address? I mean…someone we don’t know just got our personal, private email. How about filing a freedom of information act to find out just WHO the jerk off was who DEMANDED our email addy’s??? If I lived in Maine…I would certainly do so. Doesn’t the FOIA apply to us all? In fact…I may just check that out.
Nice letters to Snowe and Collins. Good for you! Doubt they care though as I’m “sure” those 2 are not on the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife lists for fishing and hunting, so their email is still private
Hi Debbie,
I am still a bit upset about this. I checked on the IF&W website and right on their policies page it says they will never release the addresses. I wrote to the webmaster of Maine.gov and told them they should remove that statement.
I am not really mad at the IF&W, but I am mad that nowhere on any government websites does it state that if you contact them via email your address is now public information. I would have definately thought twice if I had seen that warning.