An interesting follow-up to the recent flap caused by Richard Chirgwin's article that suggested Plaxo would run afoul of Australian anti-spam laws. Scott Epstein, Plaxo's new head of marketing, commented on Chirgwin's piece:

"Your article implies that Plaxo is spam. Plaxo is a software program that users consciously and actively download. They use it to automate a process that people do manually everyday: exchange contact information. Like to Hotmail, Yahoo Mail or Outlook, Plaxo is a software application and service that people use to send emails. While Plaxo computers handle the mechanism of sending the emails on their behalf, Plaxo, the company, does not send emails to anyone.

Unlike spammers, Plaxo offers clearly identifiable sender information; has a opt-out policy that is prominently displayed and works; is registered with both TRUSTe and VeriSign; and strives to live up to painstakingly detailed privacy policies. Plaxo has also partnered with Cloudmark, a leading anti-spam software company to provide Plaxo users with additional options to fight spam.

Opting-out

Plaxo launched an opt-out policy earlier this year, which provides users multiple ways to opt-out of receiving Plaxo update requests. If you do not wish to receive Plaxo update requests from our users, you can go to the following URL and block all future emails: http://www.plaxo.com/opt-out.

In less than seven months, Plaxo has registered more than one million users and more than 15 million people have responded to their requests for updated ccontact information. It is a simple and secure way to make sure that all your information is correct and complete."

Chirgwin counters Epstein's comments by closing:

"The question which provoked the article - what's the standing of Plaxo messages under Australia's anti-spam legislation? - is, I think, still valid, so I look forward to continuing my dialogue with Mr Epstein."