UPDATE: I’m receiving emails from folks who say an unsubscribe link was at the bottom of the Axelrod email they received. I’m also receiving more emails from people, including on Capitol Hill, who are saying they received Axelrod’s “viral” talking points memo despite never having signed up for White House emails in any way.
If there’s a part of this story that’s more troubling to me, it’s not the unsubscribe bit; CAN-SPAM likely doesn’t apply to government anyway, and I can always move Mr. Axelrod’s emails to my spam bucket on my own. Rather, the most troubling part here is the fact that the White House is apparently targeting people who have never offered their permission, or their contact information, to the White House in an increasingly desperate attempt to get somebody to listen to them.
Yesterday, the Obama White House launched a self-described “viral e-mail” that, according to ABC News, strategists and spokespersons hoped would “combat the viral e-mails that fly unchecked and under the radar, spreading all sorts of lies and distortions.”
The email, which is from Obama strategist David Axelrod and which has a subject line of “Something Worth Forwarding, is a lengthy (and wholly unremarkable)rehash of Obama administration/Organizing for America/Democrat National Committee talking points on the proposed health care overhaul.
The main content of this email is not really noteworthy in the least. What is noteworthy is the fact that Axelrod’s email appears to lack any way to opt out of future messages from info@messages.whitehouse.gov — a fact that, if Axelrod’s email is to be considered anything other than official government communication, may put it in violation of the federal CAN-SPAM Act.
The CAN-SPAM (”Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing”) Act, passed in 2003, requires emailers to “give recipients an opt-out method,” according to the Federal Trade Commission. Axelrod’s email did not do that.
Granted, the CAN-SPAM Act was written to protect people against commercial email spamming, not against a White House that sent an email without an opt-out feature to a list of people who never requested to be contacted by the Obama White House, and who never provided the administration with their email addresses.
Yesterday, Fox News White House correspondent Major Garrett pressed Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs on apparent inclusion of people on the recipient list who never authorized the White House to email them. Gibbs’s response was to direct Garrett to provide the administration with the names and email addresses of anybody who had complained about receiving Axelrod’s email.
When looked at in the context of the call earlier this month for citizens to turn in their fellow Americans who criticized Obamacare in “casual conversation” to the White House, Gibbs’s request for personal information on those who complained about receiving an unsolicited email from the Obama administration appears to be yet more evidence of a pattern by the White House of responding to criticism by demanding information on, and going after, those individuals who dare to make their criticisms and objections known.
This is the second email in a week to be sent by the Obama White House in an effort to bolster support for its flagging health care overhaul proposal (relatedly, the Obama campaign has sent four in the last 8 days, and the Democratic National Committee two, marking an incredibly desperate attempt by government health care advocates to reverse the growing tide of opposition to their proposals).
The important points on this one, though, are that people were apparently added to the recipient list for this email without ever having requested to be contacted by the Obama White House, and without ever having provided the administration with their email addresses; and that recipients, whether they chose to receive emails from the White House or not, are now on an email list that they have no way of removing themselves from.
So, you can be opted in by the federal government — and they leave you with no way to opt out.
Wow. If this isn’t a metaphor for the entire Obamacare fiasco, I don’t know what is.

No,
itdiehard Friday, August 14th at 12:21PM EDT (link)Not when you can fire the prosecutor and appoint the judges!
A Class Action Suit, Then.
farstar99 Friday, August 14th at 3:11PM EDT (link)I’ll sign up.
I caught one of their spam waves.
Your tax dollars at work.
tantytantalus Friday, August 14th at 1:29PM EDT (link)Swine flu spreading across the globe, and chain emails are the viral threat that the administration -does- decide to combat. Whee!
Laws?
Big Apple Infidel Friday, August 14th at 1:46PM EDT (link)We ain’t got no laws. We don’t need no laws! I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ laws!
Greetings from occupied territory!
Eerie picture. Nice graphics, tho. nt
muffin Friday, August 14th at 3:31PM EDT (link)Who did this
dudette Monday, August 17th at 8:03AM EDT (link)What a great pic!
Whose list?
Robert A. Hahn Friday, August 14th at 2:49PM EDT (link)Let’s see if we can figure out where they are buying some of these names. Did anyone here get one of these Axelrod emails? Is there any obvious place a liberal-leaning campaign would have bought your name… Sierra Club, AARP, etc.?
It would be cool if we could nail the AARP for giving their list to the White House.
Drink Good Coffee. You can sleep when you’re dead.
Maybe they bought the list from the Viagra spammers
bs Friday, August 14th at 3:26PM EDT (link)I do get a few of those every day…
Decorum is fo’ suckas
Maybe Someone Dropped The Dime On You
Swamp_Yankee Friday, August 14th at 3:32PM EDT (link)A significant other trying to give you a hint?
Not Dead Yet!
I hope I get one
Lammo Friday, August 14th at 2:59PM EDT (link)so I can forward it to flag@whitehouse.gov as being fishy. Daily. For a month.
ACORN: Association of Criminals Obama Represented in the Nineties. (jupitersuite)
Don’t be so open minded that your brains fall out. (Fr. John Corapi, SOLT)
Crime never takes a holiday. (Dennis J. O’Shea, R.I.P.)
Unlawful is against the law. Illegal is a sick bird. (Ooold joke)
Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read. (Groucho Marx)
I didn't get one
I am a retread originally known as tbeauchamp. Friday, August 14th at 3:12PM EDT (link)…and I volunteered for the campaign for a year.
they must be sending them out to a different list.
http://www.redstate.com/jrichardson/2009/04/28/2008-the-year-of-obama/#comment-718
“The right’s inability to listen to news like this and adjust your message will spell the doom of your party.”
Axelrod email received - w/unsubscribe option
potter Friday, August 14th at 3:51PM EDT (link)I just found the Axelrod email in my box. They sent it at 7:15 pm on 8/13. Like so many others, I DID NOT subscribe to anything from the White House.
My copy has an unsubscribe option at the bottom which says:
This email was sent to blank@blank.net
Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy
Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House
The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111
does the white house keep the lists when the administrations change?
I am a retread originally known as tbeauchamp. Friday, August 14th at 3:53PM EDT (link)If people signed up under a different administration, would they still be on the White House list?
Just curious.
http://www.redstate.com/jrichardson/2009/04/28/2008-the-year-of-obama/#comment-718
“The right’s inability to listen to news like this and adjust your message will spell the doom of your party.”
But Gibbsy told us ...
get2djnow Friday, August 14th at 4:10PM EDT (link)NOTHING! Because answering a question directly would have gotten his nipple in a ringer.
In memory of A1C Elizabeth N. Jacobson
My copy was a forward (apropos)
Jeff Emanuel Friday, August 14th at 4:15PM EDT (link)And it contained just the last two lines of that footer
JE
I got it too
Maggie_in_Indiana Friday, August 14th at 4:35PM EDT (link)And I know for 100% fact I have never contacted this administration for anything. ..But I did send emails to Bush through comments@whitehouse.gov . this link sends you to another/replaced link. Suppose they are accessing all of the old comments email addresses ? Possible ,ya think?
Maggie in Indiana
Could the list be from Flag@Whitehouse.gov?
gahazzah Friday, August 14th at 5:00PM EDT (link)The point of the Flag@WhiteHouse.gov was to find out who was spreading misinformation, the Axelrod emails are meant to combat said misinformation.
It seems like a somewhat obvious correlation. Maybe they compiled a list from forwards?
/government
I sent...
Big Apple Infidel Friday, August 14th at 8:33PM EDT (link)a picture of a fish to the flag@whitehouse.gov address. They didn’t get back to me for some reason.
Greetings from occupied territory!
I have been receiving emails since 5/13/2009
charliebravoNH Saturday, August 15th at 4:04PM EDT (link)Some how some where the White House put me on their distribution list. If you go to the White House website you will find it to pretty easy. I never signed up though. If you think of it, it is easy to sign up some one else if you know their zip code. Below is the copy of the email I received from the White House.
“The White House, Washington
Good afternoon,
You are receiving this email because you signed up at WhiteHouse.gov. My staff and I plan to use these messages as a way to directly communicate about important issues and opportunities, and today I have some encouraging updates about health care reform.
The Vice President and I just met with leaders from the House of Representatives and received their commitment to pass a comprehensive health care reform bill by July 31.
We also have an unprecedented commitment from health care industry leaders, many of whom opposed health reform in the past. Monday, I met with some of these health care stakeholders, and they pledged to do their part to reduce the health care spending growth rate, saving more than two trillion dollars over the next ten years — around $2,500 for each American family. Then on Tuesday, leaders from some of America’s top companies came to the White House to showcase innovative ways to reduce health care costs by improving the health of their workers.
Now the House and Senate are beginning a critical debate that will determine the health of our nation’s economy and its families. This process should be transparent and inclusive and its product must drive down costs, assure quality and affordable health care for everyone, and guarantee all of us a choice of doctors and plans.
Reforming health care should also involve you. Think of other people who may want to stay up to date on health care reform and other national issues and tell them to join us here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/EmailUpdates
Health care reform can’t come soon enough. We spend more on health care than any country, but families continue to struggle with skyrocketing premiums and nearly 46 million are without insurance entirely. It is a priority for the American people and a pillar of the new foundation we are seeking to build for our economy.
We’ll continue to keep you posted about this and other important issues.
Thank you,
Barack Obama
P.S. If you’d like to get more in-depth information about health reform and how you can participate, be sure to visit http://www.HealthReform.gov.”
This email was sent to (deleted by CharliebravoNH)
Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy
The White House · 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW · Washington, DC 20500 · 202-456-1111
ChBRVNH
Gibbs asks for the names
redneck_hippie Saturday, August 15th at 5:01PM EDT (link)of those receiving emails in order to “check whether or not” they are on the list. Then he puts words into Major Garret’s mouth to the effect that Major Garret asked Gibbs whether or not the people who received emails are “on the list.” Fancy dancing, but Major Garret did not state the people who received emails might be on a list. He clearly stated that they couldn’t be on a list because they never requested any such thing.
Oops!
“We must not lose our faculty to dare, especially in dark days.” - Churchill in March, 1942.
Remember NY-23.
Is the USG's restriction on (computer) cookies related to it's sending of unsolicited e-mails?
SoFiMil Sunday, August 16th at 11:31AM EDT (link)Don’t know enough about computer technology, but did recall something several years ago about a cookie-issue and so did some quick checking. Hopefully there are readers out there that can add insight and comment whether this is related to individuals receiving unsolicited e-mails from the White House.
A June 22, 2000 memo (MM-00-13) re guidance issued on June 2, 1999: “Because of the unique laws and traditions about government access to citizens’ personal information, the presumption should be that “cookies” will not be used at Federal web sites.”
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/memoranda_m00-13/
http://blog.ostp.gov/2009/07/24/cookiepolicy/ (The original date of this posting appears to be /07/24/2009)
http://www.ostp.gov/galleries/opengov_inbox/ISPAB_Report_dc_w_lh.pdf
http://www.suvstrategery.blogspot.com
Yes, The 1974 Privacy Act and Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988
ellisclarke Monday, August 17th at 6:46AM EDT (link)What clearly can be labelled Un-American, while our Politicians take a vacation, is the news medias cover- up and non reporting on one of the most illegal activities of an American President since Richard Nixon. A little further investigation might undercover a campaign of political spying and sabotage against Americans, on behalf of the current Administration?
President Obama and his administrations illegal act of gathering and soliciting emails and conversations about information from one citizen concerning another American citizen concerning health care is breaking The 1974 privacy act and the Constitution.
Why have elected Senators and Congress members NOT spoken out against this abuse of power and illegal act by the white house (snitch e-mails and a “reality check” section on the White House Web site).
Will this attempt against the people of America, to erode civil liberties, which has been orchestrated from the white house NOT be challenged in courts of Law? It is time for criminal charges to be laid in a court of law against Obama, his administration and his unelected gang of czars for these unconstitutional acts against the American people.
As always the pro and biased Obama USA main stream media is no where to be found these days when it comes to reporting facts or informing the public about Obama’s illegal and unconstitutional acts. For them all criticism about Obama and his policies are labelled as racist! Yet, the only anti-white remarks are emanating directly from within the white house.
Time for Congress and the Senate to do their job of representing the people by holding hearings on the possible impeachment of this President for such illegal activities which are clearly in violation of the constitution; the 1974 privacy act and The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988. Where is the appointment of an independent prosecutor to investigate such abuse of power
No one, including our President is above the law!
Keep smiling
Un-checked?
livefreenh Monday, August 17th at 8:28AM EDT (link)The terms used in the phrase “e-mails that fly unchecked and under the radar” are of a military nature.
“Fly unchecked” implies that someone should be checking private emails between citizens. Or do they want to treat our emails the same way they treat luggage at airports? Examine the unchecked stuff also?
“Under the radar” implies that someone is doing something where he does not want to be detected by the government, for example, smuggling drugs or invading a country.
I remember in the former United States we used to have a First Amendment. Emails were supposed to be un-checked. And the government’s radar was facing the ocean, not facing me.
White House E-Mail Gate
ellisclarke Monday, August 17th at 12:59PM EDT (link)A White House E-Mail-Gate!
The biggest story since Watergate and news media like ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN etc. with their pro and biased Obama reporting are no where to be found or heard.
So, this Administration is attempting to shift the blame from the President and his un-elected czars to “third parties-unnamed”.
Laws that the President was sworn to uphold, the privacy act of 1974 and The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, have been broken by the illegal act of gathering and soliciting emails and conversations about information from one citizen concerning another American citizen relating to health care.
Where are the voice and outrage from our elected Senators and Congress members. NOT a word spoken from them against this abuse of power and illegal act by the white house (snitch e-mails and a “reality check” section on the White House Web site). I guess they are still on vacation and hiding from the voters.
Time for Congress and the Senate to do their job of representing the people by holding hearings on the possible impeachment of this President for such illegal activities which are clearly in violation of the constitution.
Where, at least, is the appointment of an independent prosecutor to investigate such abuse of power by the President and his administration.
No one, including our President is above the law! Please help inform the American public, by forwarding this article to all your individual friends and news blogs etc.
Keep smiling
Same thing happened to me, but different.
tallicedtea Monday, August 17th at 2:06PM EDT (link)I started receiving unsolicited emails from Obama when I commented on his campaign website well before he was elected. It was a non-supportive comment on an issue at the time. I never signed up to receive emails, but suddenly started receiving them, and still do.
So, I think this is his pattern of behavior, apparently.