Australian airline Virgin Blue was recently fined more than $100,000 for spamming. What did it do? It failed to unsubscribe people who requested removal from the mailing list. How can you prevent it happening to you? Let's find out, in The Long View... As the Australian AP reported, the airline -- loosely affiliated to Virgin America and Virgin Atlantic -- is in hot water with the Australian regulators: Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd will overhaul its email marketing systems and pay a $110,000 charge after consumers complained they were unable to unsubscribe. ... "Virgin Blue acknowledged that it had experienced problems with its email marketing systems, which led to some previously unsubscribed consumers continuing to receive emails," ... The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said. Laws in many jurisdictions regulate unsubscribe behavior, including the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act and the brand-new Canadian Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act (C-28). Huge fines are possible, so it's important for IT people to keep a close eye on what their marketing friends are up to, and ensure that any systems you're providing them work correctly
