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It provides regulatory pressure to make unsubscribing as easy as possible. Those costs are entirely absent if customers can click a button. Otherwise, if the re
by detuur 5y ago
It provides regulatory pressure to make unsubscribing as easy as possible. Those costs are entirely absent if customers can click a button. Otherwise, if the regulation merely prescribes that there has to be a button, there is little consequence if the button doesn't work, or you have to jump through 50 hoops to find it like in cookie banners. The Swedish model ensures that if your button is unsatisfactory, you'll be legally obliged to pay heed to any random letter, phone call, email, or indeed even napkin that comes in.
It's a simple incentive.
- _2d30 5y ago> Otherwise, if the regulation merely prescribes that there has to be a button, there is little consequence if the button doesn't work, This is a ridiculous strawman. The Swedish model also makes it such that sufficiently motivated ass holes can make a company's life very difficult. Much better to have sensible legislation like the FTC's where your mode of unsubbing is equivalent to your mode of subbing. Really, shockingly good stuff from the FTC here. Unsurprisingly crappy stuff from Sweden. Also, looks like the Swedish outcomes are pretty shit! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29255702 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29255702 Will be interesting to see how it goes in the US.
- dguest 5y agoI don't think most companies are maliciously breaking unsubscribe buttons, but there are a lot of websites that don't work on some browsers, are badly maintained to the point of being unusable, are confusing, or simply don't work because the people that maintain them aren't professional web designers. When your website is broken and you continue to charge me money, I don't think the onus on me to report the broken website, help your (maybe non-existent) IT division to find the bug, wait around for them to come up with a fix, and then help them beta test it. I should be able to file a ticket and say "I don't want your services please stop taking my money".
- _2d30 5y agoAnd how would this case work against you in the FTC’s legislation? Seems pretty clear that if it doesn’t work to unsubscribe but it would work to subscribe then it’s against the ruling. If the website can’t actually add subscriptions then good luck to that company surviving!