Same exact thing here! I have a special e-mail address I used to register at the Entertainment.com Web site many months ago ([mylastname]-entertainment@aliveandkicking.com), and then starting today, I got spam at that address!

I called their customer service department and spoke to a nice-but-powerless person who probably works for a contractor call center (she refused to confirm this).

She gave me the physical address of Entertainment Publications Operating Company's HQ (Maple Corporate Center, 1414, E. Maple Rd., Troy, MI 48033).

I just sent e-mail to them... We'll see what happens.

--------------------------------

From: [snip]-entertainment@aliveandkicking.com
To: contactus@entertainment.com
Sent: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 09:14:02 -0700
Subject: SPAM from one of your "affiliates" which I DID NOT AUTHORIZE

Please forward this to your legal department at once.

Today I received the following spam from one of your "affiliates" which identifies itself as YOUDISCVERREWARDS.COM (note the missing "o" in the word "discover"). That spam message follows below, complete with long headers. I know it from one of your affiliates because it was sent to a special and unique e-mail address that I created solely for the purpose of registering on your site: [snip]-entertainment@aliveandkicking.com.

Notice that the spam I received makes no mention of Entertainment Publications.

When registering my account at the Entertainment.com Web site, I DID elect to receive offers via e-mail "FROM ENTERTAINMENT" but the option did NOT say anything about my granting permission to your company to give my e-mail address to any other organization.

I also reviewed your privacy policy, and it made NO MENTION about giving my e-mail address to any other organization.

THIS IS A CLEAR VIOLATION of appropriate business practices in terms of privacy and integrity of holding your subscribers' e-mail addresses. In fact, I recently learned that it may also be a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act which prohibit deceptive practices (see the settlement of the recent FTC action against Gateway Learning at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/07/gateway.htm).

OPTING OUT OF SPAM E-MAIL IS FUTILE. Most spammers do not honor such requests, and some use the "opt out" mechanism as a means of verifying that an address is valid, and thus generates more spam. Therefore, it is inappropriate to expect members to opt out of spam sent by your affiliates.

I honestly expected more integrity from your company, and I'm extremely disappointed.

I see that I am not alone in my concerns, as there is a Web page about your violations at http://ideas.4brad.com/archives/000164.html.

Please contact me with your intentions to resolve not only my specific concern, but also your plans to bring either your business practices or your privacy policy (preferably the former) into compliance.

Respectfully,

[snip]

-----Original Message-----
Mime-Version: 1.0
To: "[snip]-entertainment@aliveandkicking.com"
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_Part_270852_33024191.1113889247755"
X-MB-Recipient-Addr: [snip]-entertainment@aliveandkicking.com
X-MB-Recipient-Addr-Type: TrackerAddress
X-MB-Trace: IMM:FromExtSMTP,C70F3928-4C4D872A-0375E482-0E0914D5 TRK:VTrckr AV:NA AFS:MID_NP UAR:AcptTrkr GARPostUser:WD_NP DTKT:WD_NP DTKTR:WD_NP CR:WD_NP DDisp:WD_NP
Subject: Get your Free* Trip to New York here
X-MB-Envelope-From:
Return-Path:
X-MB-Message-Source: ExternalSMTP
Received: from 10.10.0.93 by APP27.MAILBLOCKS.COM (10.10.0.76) with SMTP for [snip]-entertainment@aliveandkicking.com; Mon, 18 Apr 2005 22:40:50 -0700
Received: (qmail 14541 invoked from network); 19 Apr 2005 05:40:49 -0000
Received: from 69.56.62.52 (HELO mail1.YOUDISCVERREWARDS.COM) (69.56.62.52) by 140.174.9.93 with SMTP; 19 Apr 2005 05:40:49 -0000
X-MB-Message-Type: User
Message-ID:
From: DiscoverRewards
Reply-To: DiscoverRewards
X-MWI: rnzwnnngmlvlrlvlawlsaawe zzvwgrglnenlvrrlrl llgelsarwa
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 00:40:47 -0500 (CDT)

[big obnoxious [graphic]
Click here
[four graphics containing only text]

To no longer receive these messages, please send a blank emaill here: unsub-jvcdcasgsaxddada@YOUDISCVERREWARDS.COM
OR Send a postal mail to: PO Box 1119, Old Chelsea Station, New York, NY 10113