Keith Thomasson on the Web E-mail Policy
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It may seem rather formal and over the top for me to have an e-mail policy, but I have noticed how people use e-mail.  Generally, this is without thinking of the implications of what they do, or the wants or needs of the person whose e-mail address is being used.  There is a specific problem regarding attached files, as people tend to believe that because they have a certain piece of software, everyone else in the world can read the files they produce.

Most e-mail addresses belong to individuals, and should be treated with appropriate respect. Under the UK Data Protection Act, an e-mail address that identifies an individual is personal data, and must not be passed on to third parties without the permission of the owner.

What I will do

• I will respect each e-mail address I receive as the personal address of the owner.
• I will not include an e-mail address in a global or bulk mailing without first obtaining the consent of the owner.
  • Note, however, that some of the web-based games I run require you to agree to this as a condition of joining the game. This includes Acquire, Puerto Rico, Ra and Sopwith. As people are asked to abide by the rules of these games when they sign up, I feel comfortable assuming that they have read about the use of group mailings and thereby agree to their use. These mailings are limited to the other players in the games.
• I will not publish an e-mail address on this web site, or anywhere else, without first obtaining the consent of the owner.
• I will not send large e-mail attachments (say 100k or higher) without first obtaining the consent of the recipient. I will not send attachments in a proprietary format of any size without first obtaining consent. A proprietary format is one that belongs to a specific software supplier, e.g. Microsoft, Corel, Lotus, etc.

What I would like you to do

• Treat my e-mail address in the same manner that I will treat yours, as above.

Thank you

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© Keith Thomasson February 4th 2003