INTERNET FREEDOM: Stop AOL's Email Tax

Hmmm...

"AOL's plan to implement an 'email tax' is a threat to the free and open Internet. This system would create a privileged Internet in which affluent mass emailers could pay for a guarantee that their messages go directly to AOL members' inboxes.

Those who do not pay the 'email tax' would increasingly be left to the mercy of unreliable spam filters. This is the first step down a slippery slope that will harm the free flow of ideas and innovations on the Internet.

AOL's pay-to-send system would actually reward AOL financially for failing to maintain its email service. By switching to certified email, AOL has a financial incentive to degrade email for non-paying senders. This would disrupt the communications of millions who cannot afford to pay their fees while setting a dangerous precedent that other large email service providers will follow.

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So let me see if I've got this right. AOL user's Inbox filters will be rendered useless if you have the money to pay for a "Pass Jail" card that AOL will sell to high-dollar advertiser's?

That's like me paying the USPS to stop delivering junk mail, their pocketing the cash and then taking a bribe from big companies to ensure my request is ignored.

Yep. Sounds like "big business as usual" is coming to an inbox near you.