We're delighted to make the Online Trust Alliance's 2012 Online Trust Honor Roll, especially since it marks the third consecutive year we've been included. As a founding OTA member, Return Path was among the first companies in our industry to actively promote the importance of security and privacy in maintaining consumer trust. Our clients and our team members all deserve credit for this recognition.

"Return Path has made the OTA Honor Roll since its inception. The company has been on the...

Do you think that your company has its online security and trust practices completely bullet proofed? I’m willing to bet hard dollars (or at least donuts) you are wrong, and a recent experience only makes me more confident that I’d win that bet more times than I’d lose it.

I’m sort of a geek, so my kids have had email accounts since before they could say “email.” I recently moved my 11-year-old onto a new account and had his old account diverted to me. Wow, talk about a spam trap. The stream of...

I continue to regularly receive commercial business solicitations to my Return Path assigned email address.  I’ve written before on my personal blog about handling these sales pitches from people I don’t know.

Since 2003 when the CAN-SPAM Act went into effect in the United States, these messages have been regulated as a form of commercial email which must comply with the law.  I find that even today, eight years later, I still commonly receive solicitations from businesses that do not comply.

Beca...

At Return Path we work hard to make email work better for everyone who has a stake in it. This includes marketers, as most people know, but it also includes ISPs and mailbox providers. It’s not easy for either party, but the problems for ISPs in particular are noteworthy. They are tasked with protecting their network and users from an unending onslaught of spam, scams, viruses and malware. It is a daunting task to handle inbound email accurately – getting the wanted mail to users’ inboxes while...

When it comes to privacy and behavioral tracking, the FTC has largely given the direct marketing and email marketing industries a mandate to "self regulate, or else." We've done a pretty good job of that as an industry, but this year we may see some additional attention paid to our success. You simply must be aware of these issues, and so I'm happy to invite you to join me at a DMA/Email Experience Council webinar with the FTC later this month. Attend to get the full scoop (see details and a...