Unethical?
A new service has just launched which allows you to get an email address that only lasts 10 minutes. See 10minutemail.com.
That’s right…10 minutes.
Essentially what this means is that when you get to those pages on a website which require you to provide an email address and a name before getting the content on the subsequent page, you can simply grab a 10minutemail.com address, sign up for the item, get it from your email, and do nothing further. The email address will simply “self-destruct”.
I know that there are some folks out there cheering this on because they get so tired of being “required” to give out personal information before receiving either their free gift, complimentary offer, whatever you’re seeking at the time.
However, the people providing this offer to you as a subscriber have gone to some lengths to get that information to you. The “price” that you pay is your email address. Would you rather be charged for the product? I guess it all depends on what your email address is worth to you.
I honestly believe that this is a very short-lived but noteworthy item. Many websites already prevent certain email addresses from being used such as a hotmail.com or ayahoo.com address and this will simply be another one that is blocked by savvy website owners.
It’s obvious that if you choose to use an email address such as this, you are doing nothing more than stealing. You obviously have no intention of being a trustworthy person.
A little harsh? I don’t think so. Since many online marketers offer a double-opt in, which essentially means that you have to confirm your email address before receiving any additional email, and you are given the opportunity to unsubscribe at any time, there is no reason at all to not use a real, working email address.
Obviously if you have visited the website they offer something of value to you so it would make sense that you would want to receive other valuable items and information as well.
If you don’t, it’s simply stealing.
What do you think?
- K