E-MPS Now Offered To Canadian Consumers.

Canadian consumers and businesses can now sign up for The Direct Marketing Association's e-Mail Preference Service (e-MPS) to reduce the amount of unsolicited marketing e-mail they receive. Consumers can register for the free service at www.e-mps.org, where their e-mail addresses will be added

The service will delete the Internet addresses of those individuals who do not want to receive such solicitations, however, marketers do not have to remove the e-mail addresses of their own customers or of those individuals who have contacted them requesting information.

"We recognize the borderless nature of the Internet, and the fact that Canadians receive e-mail solicitations from around the world," said Amanda Maltby, vice president, public affairs and communications of The Canadian Marketing Association. "This service allows Canadian consumers and businesses to register to have their e-mail addresses removed from the marketing lists of companies throughout the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Finland, Great Britain, Ireland and The Netherlands."

"e-MPS will not totally eliminate all unsolicited commercial e-mail, but can become an important part of the overall solution," said H. Robert Wientzen, president and CEO, The DMA. "The Internet will be an increasingly important means of conducting business, and e-MPS will help ensure that commercial e-mail remains a viable communications tool in the marketing process."

Direct marketing associations in Australia, Belgium, Finland, Great Britain, Ireland, The Netherlands, and New Zealand have already agreed to participate in the program, and other countries are expected to join in its use. In addition to English, it is planned for e-MPS to be available in several languages, including Dutch, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese and French.