PAYING POSTAGE FOR E-MAIL
3/5/2004
To the barricades, people! Here come the money-grubbers, trying to get their hands on one of the few small freedoms that is still essentially free in our world: sending e-mail.
None other than Bill Gates, the emperor of Microsoft's virtual kingdom, has acknowledged that his monopolistic corporation, the largest e-mail provider in the world, is trying to develop an e-mail stamp. Apparently, he's trying to be the global post office of the internet. Microsoft is conspiring with Yahoo, Inc., the second largest e-mail provider, to work out the technological kinks to make it possible for them to create a virtual stamp--actually an encrypted code number--so they can assess a fee for each e-mail, probably starting modestly with a penny per message.
Excuse me. Bill Gates is the richest human on the planet, with more personal wealth than some nations, yet he feels the need to collect a penny from each of our e-mails?
No, no, say the minions of Microsoft and Yahoo--This is something we want to do to help YOU, it's for your own good!
They're cloaking this sneaky stamp tax with a claim that they're just wanting to stop those dastardly spammers who fill our e-mail boxes with electronic junk-mail hawking all sorts of products and services. "There is not enough friction in sending e-mail," says a Yahoo operative, and the plan is to apply friction at a penny a pop. Of course, while couching this as a noble public service, the corporations would be creating an endless new revenue stream running right into their pockets.
Company executives say that you and I shouldn't fear this e-stamp, because, initially, they'd only require the big bulk users of e-mail to pay this corporate assessment of postage--not us. Pardon my skepticism, but Microsoft and Yahoo are not altruistic entities, and their long records of profiteering suggests that once they get the technology in place, they'll milk us consumers for all they can get.
"Gates Backs E-Mail Stamp in War on Spam," New York Times. February 2, 2004.
www.nytimes.com/2004/02/technology/02spam.html
Jim Hightower
Hightower & Associates
1802 W. 6th Street
Austin, TX 78703
512-477-5588
[email protected]
http://www.jimhightower.com/air/read.asp?id=11312
3/5/2004
To the barricades, people! Here come the money-grubbers, trying to get their hands on one of the few small freedoms that is still essentially free in our world: sending e-mail.
None other than Bill Gates, the emperor of Microsoft's virtual kingdom, has acknowledged that his monopolistic corporation, the largest e-mail provider in the world, is trying to develop an e-mail stamp. Apparently, he's trying to be the global post office of the internet. Microsoft is conspiring with Yahoo, Inc., the second largest e-mail provider, to work out the technological kinks to make it possible for them to create a virtual stamp--actually an encrypted code number--so they can assess a fee for each e-mail, probably starting modestly with a penny per message.
Excuse me. Bill Gates is the richest human on the planet, with more personal wealth than some nations, yet he feels the need to collect a penny from each of our e-mails?
No, no, say the minions of Microsoft and Yahoo--This is something we want to do to help YOU, it's for your own good!
They're cloaking this sneaky stamp tax with a claim that they're just wanting to stop those dastardly spammers who fill our e-mail boxes with electronic junk-mail hawking all sorts of products and services. "There is not enough friction in sending e-mail," says a Yahoo operative, and the plan is to apply friction at a penny a pop. Of course, while couching this as a noble public service, the corporations would be creating an endless new revenue stream running right into their pockets.
Company executives say that you and I shouldn't fear this e-stamp, because, initially, they'd only require the big bulk users of e-mail to pay this corporate assessment of postage--not us. Pardon my skepticism, but Microsoft and Yahoo are not altruistic entities, and their long records of profiteering suggests that once they get the technology in place, they'll milk us consumers for all they can get.
"Gates Backs E-Mail Stamp in War on Spam," New York Times. February 2, 2004.
www.nytimes.com/2004/02/technology/02spam.html
Jim Hightower
Hightower & Associates
1802 W. 6th Street
Austin, TX 78703
512-477-5588
[email protected]
http://www.jimhightower.com/air/read.asp?id=11312