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So, the White House *was* just signing people up without their permission.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  August 17th, 2009 at 09:04 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

(Via Hot Air Headlines) I understand that it’s probably legally wise for the White House to assign responsibility for Axelrod’s health care spamming to all those evil, evil advocacy organizations, but really:

“We are implementing measures to make subscribing to emails clearer, including preventing advocacy organizations from signing people up to our lists without their permission when they deliver petition signatures and other messages on individual’s behalf.”

If the petitions were only presented in hardcopy form, somebody had to enter those email addresses into the system. If the organizations in question had provided a digital list of email addresses, somebody had to add them to the White House’s distribution list. If the organizations in question had signed up those email addresses one at a time, somebody on the White House Staff needs to explain why he or she didn’t even set up a please-click-to-confirm-your-registration system.

Somebody with a name.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

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COMMENTS

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  • djemi

    Which rule is it? You know the one about ‘personalise’ it. Its easier to attack an individual (Can Mis-speak) than anInstitution (canNOT mis-speak), so I’m not expecting to ever see a name. Sorry, unless BO and Axe, need a distraction, and there is a bus driving by.

  • bk

    The lying from the Obama administration is becoming more frantic and more obvious. There is a definite sense of desperation.

  • bk

    Major was right and Gibbs was lying. The WH can try to spin it any way they want, but that’s the bottom line. I’m trying to find the outrage about this at the ACLU site but for some reason I can’t find it there.

  • http://www.suvstrategery.blogspot.com SoFiMil

    I’m not convinced the White House itself didn’t enter in these e-mail addresses and will not accept the WH?s explanation without further evidence to support their explanation. If a 3rd party did enter in these e-mail addresses, there should be an electronic record of the IP addresses and the time/day this was done. I would also assume the WH already made such a records check, or how else could they make such an assertion that the blame rests with 3rd party individuals and/or organizations?

    If all ?requests? to be added to the WH?s e-list list originated from individuals unaffiliated with any group in an uncoordinated effort, (i.e., liberal friends of individuals receiving unsolicited e-mails), the records would likely indicate only one or two “requests” to be added to the WH e-mail list within a relatively short period of time from each respective IP address.

    If, however, it was a 3rd party group or organization that systematically entered in e-mail addresses of individuals without these individuals’ permission, there would likely be a record of a significant number of requests to be added to the WH e-mail list from a particular IP address within a relatively short period of time. (i.e., possibly several hundred requests within one hour.)

    If it is 3rd party organizations who have engaged in this practice, I imagine several laws were broken in the process. If so, who are these organizations and where did they get these e-mail addresses?

    Again, I?m not convinced it was 3rd party organizations. If an individual never requested to be added to a WH e-mail list (or even visited the WH site), it is probable they were at least of these individuals were not on a liberal 3rd party’s organization’s e-mail distribution list either.

  • http://www.suvstrategery.blogspot.com SoFiMil

    …it is probable that at least some of these individuals were not on a liberal 3rd party organization?s e-mail distribution list either.

  • http://www.suvstrategery.blogspot.com SoFiMil

    ?it is probable that at least some of these individuals were not on a liberal 3rd party organization?s e-mail distribution list either.

  • mustango

    You’d think they’d know how to run an email list properly.

  • Old_Crow

    When is the FTC opening an investigation?
    Just wondering…
    Can’t wait to read about it in the NYT.

  • http://www.suvstrategery.blogspot.com SoFiMil

    Question for Robert Gibbs:

    Has the White House analyzed the IP addresses for the unsolicited e-mails? If not, will the White House immediately begin reviewing the originating IP addresses for all unsolicited e-mails and release their findings? If any IP addresses originate from a White House computer, will individuals who inputted these otherwise private e-mail addresses be fired?

    Eugene, if you’re still out there, you’re welcome to ask the President this question as well.