direct/ Cloudmark Allows Email Users to Safely Unsubscribe From Newsletters

New "Safe Unsubscribe" Feature Frees Service Providers From User, Publisher Complaints

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/26/2006 -- Cloudmark, Inc., the proven leader in messaging security solutions, is introducing a feature that safely unsubscribes email users from unwanted newsletters while equipping service providers and publishers to better accommodate subscriber preferences. Cloudmark´s new "Safe Unsubscribe" capabilities provide greater visibility and granular control over an issue of growing risk, cost and customer dissatisfaction.

To date, users hesitate to follow "unsubscribe" links for fear of having their email addresses or other information captured and misused. Instead, readers wishing to stop receiving newsletters mislabel them "spam," causing false positives that compromise the efficiency of service providers´ security systems and incite complaints from the publishers and recipients of legitimate newsletters being wrongly blocked. Fielding complaints and maintaining messaging security infrastructures costs Tier 1 and 2 service providers millions of dollars each year as does storing unwanted email, including newsletters.

"It´s a widely held belief that spammers´ invitations to unsubscribe are bogus -- that when you unsubscribe, you´re confirming a bona fide email address on a spammer´s list. True or not, this belief can cause people not to unsubscribe from legitimate newsletters, fearing they´ll get even more spam," says David Ferris, President of Ferris Research, Inc. "Instead, people mark legitimate email as spam, not realizing that their action may also prevent other recipients from getting the newsletter in future. This causes significant confusion and wasted money. Cloudmark is now offering tools to address this issue, which should improve the experience for senders and recipients alike."

How It Works

Repeatedly proven fastest and most accurate at detecting and stopping spam, phishing scams and email-borne viruses, Cloudmark´s desktop, business and service provider solutions leverage a global community of trusted reporters in tandem with the industry´s most efficient and advanced fingerprinting algorithms. The system includes Newsletter Tracking that monitors the blocking and unblocking of newsletters as well as the IP addresses of legitimate distributors to distinguish newsletters from spam with extremely high -- 98+% -- accuracy.

Rather than defining newsletters as "spam," Cloudmark´s "Safe Unsubscribe" feature allows recipients to choose "unsubscribe" within the Cloudmark toolbar without having to click on links within newsletters themselves. Alternatively, service providers can configure Safe Unsubscribe to automatically and transparently unsubscribe those misusing "report spam" options.

"Our research shows that, for various reasons, many consumers who wish to stop receiving newsletters report the emails as spam versus following unsubscribe links," says Vipul Ved Prakash, founder and chief scientist of Cloudmark. "Prior to ´Safe Unsubscribe,´ inaccurate labeling has made it difficult for service providers to allow desired newsletters through and for publishers to keep up-to-date distribution lists. The Cloudmark methodology is uniquely intuitive and provides a sophisticated framework for handling grey mail issues such as email marketing and newsletters."

Information = Advantage

As part of the Cloudmark Network Feedback System (CNFS), the Safe Unsubscribe feature helps establish a framework for accurate labeling and reporting of spam, phishing and virus attacks as well as newsletters and other emerging "gray" areas. Where other solutions basically offer options of "spam" or "not spam," Cloudmark lets service providers demonstrate to publishers that a recipient has actively opted out of the distribution list. Along with the granular reporting needed to accommodate subscribers and publishers alike, features like Safe Unsubscribe enable policy-based handling that can resolve issues more quickly or proactively.

Pricing & Availability

Cloudmark Safe Unsubscribe has completed beta testing and is scheduled for general availability early in Q3.

SOURCE: Cloudmark, Inc.



Media Contact
Brenda Ropoulos
bropoulos@cloudmark.com
+1-510-414-6772


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