Disposable Email: Are they wrong?

The concept of disposable email accounts is quite simple. It refers to an account that is easily created, and easily disposed of. They are meant to be created at will,and disposed of that way, so that corruption by spam is never an issue.

This is a wonderful tool for the average internet user. They can join forums, request information, sign up for newsletters and so on, knowing that their real email address can never be compromised.

So how could there be anything wrong? Who would possibly complain?

Clearly, not every site is the evil Lord of Spam and they have no intention of using your address for anything but the intention for which they advertise. They take your goal when you sign on at face value.

When you delete your disposable email account, or if you merely deactivate it, these honest sites will continue to send you mail and include you in updates. This is a waste of time and resources, and it distorts their statistics..

Many sites are now trying to block users who use disposable identities, for just such a reason.

So on one hand users complain that revealing their addresses results in spam, as it surely does, and honest sites feel like they are being "taken". So where is the common ground?

I certainly agree that users have the right to protect themselves in any way they can. Its fact that many sites sell the addresses they get, so why ever reveal your contact information? The fairest thing to do I believe is to behave according to the "rules" of the site.

If you use a disposable email to sign up for an account, don't just delete the disposable when you are done. Act responsibly. Assume the registered site is acting likewise. Go back to your account and un-register. Or follow the link from the email you receive to do that same thing. THEN, delete the disposable email account.

In this way reputable sites will not be affected, Spamming sites will be stymied, and you will never receive the spam you so dread.

Only the bad guys lose.