It's Not Spam When I Send It

Florida’s attorney general is under fire for sending out unsolicited campaigning e-mails for his candidacy for governor. Attorney general, Charlie Crist, was an integral player in getting an anti-spam law passed last year in the state of Florida. Under the law, offenders are subject to fines of up to $500 for every e-mail sent.

Now running for governor, someone on the Crist campaign is responsible for sending e-mails to promote the candidacy and solicit campaign donations. Recipients have reportedly attempted to unsubscribe without success.

A spokeswoman for the gubernatorial campaign, Vivian Myrtetus, told a Florida paper, “This is not spam. This is truthful, it’s straight forward. We’re honest. To be spam it has to be, under Florida law, defined as being deceptive.”

I’m so glad she was sure to add the qualifier, “under Florida law,” because the definition the rest of us follow has a few more rules than perceived truthfulness and honesty.