AOL on Friday announced it will offer non-profits that abide by its anti-spam policies free guaranteed delivery of their e-mail with graphics and links intact.
The announcement follows a firestorm of criticism leveled at AOL earlier in the week by liberal activist group MoveOn.org, some right wing groups, such as RightMarch.org and some Internet civil libertarians who called AOL’s plan to charge for guaranteed delivery of some e-mail a “tax.”
The groups said that AOL’s plan to charge some e-mailers a fraction of a cent per e-mail to have their messages certified by Goodmail Systems would create a two-tiered e-mail system where those who paid would get preferential treatment over those who didn’t.
AOL announced the Goodmail arrangement earlier this year.
AOL also said Friday it will pay the sign-up costs for non-profits to get their e-mail authenticated.
“Our announcement today guarantees that every certified not-for-profit will get the same benefits as private-sector companies that have decided to utilize Goodmail’s Certified Email system,” AOL postmaster Charles Stiles said in a statement.
