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The site could use a little more explanation. The app store page reveals that behind the scenes, there's a database of junk mail logos mapped to the unsubscribe
by camtarn 15y ago
The site could use a little more explanation. The app store page reveals that behind the scenes, there's a database of junk mail logos mapped to the unsubscribe page/contract details for each piece of mail, and taking a photo causes an unsubscribe request to be sent (with unrecognized junk mail added to a queue to be investigated). That's an awesome idea :)
It's also available for Android, which the site doesn't make clear (I left the site thinking "pity it's only on iOS", and only realised when i hit "get the app" to see if the app page had more detail).
Finally, neither the site nor the app page says whether this works outside the US - I'm assuming it's US-only?
- joshu 15y agoAgreed. They could also have a blog on how to stop paperspam and get a bunch of traffic for marketing their app. Also a tech blog (how does the image detection work?) etc.
- smortaz 15y agoCofounder here... camtarn - you're quite right & thanks for confirming our hunches. Will update the site during the next couple of days (UI & text). thx.
- camtarn 15y agoSweet :) I'd been wondering if it was a mobile site issue (should probably have pointed out that I was browsing from my Android phone, oops.) Have now read your blog post, and am really wishing it was available in the UK now - the mechanism of getting something through your door, taking a photo, and being assured that you won't get any more is amazing... like a 'flag as spam' link for physical items. Very nicely done!
- alexchamberlain 15y agoNot sure we've got the same laws in the UK that make a provision for you to contact individual companies requesting removal from their lists. Can't you just ask Royal Mail to stop it?
- DanBC 15y agoIn England you can stop anything addresses to you. You start by registering with the Mail Preference Service (while you're there register all phones with telephone preference service). That takes a few weeks but should stop most things. Then you contact the Royal Mail and opt out for door to door. Which stops unaddressed mail delivered by Royal Mail. One important difference between US and UK is that anyone can stuff things through a UK letterbox, but the US mailcan things are protected and only us postal service can put things in them. I agree this service is really neat and would be very popular. Perhaps if they had a way of telling them that you've opted out and this particular bit of mail still came, and then they could handle the complaints? (http://www.stopjunkmail.org.uk/guide/door_to_door_opt_out.php http://www.stopjunkmail.org.uk/guide/door_to_door_opt_out.ph...)
- camtarn 15y agoAh-hah! I need to go that then :) Thanks for the tip!
- anigbrowl 15y agoWhat? Unless they've changed it in the last few minutes, there's an android logo smack in the middle of the page.
- abscondment 15y agoOther co-founder here- The logos weren't shown on mobile devices up until a few moments ago. Now they're visible everywhere.
- jgeerts 15y agoAwesome idea, but it won't work for some magazines, certainly at the start. Most spam will go unrecognized or am I wrong?
- smortaz 15y agoThx jgeerts - essentially junk mail can be put into to two broad categories: ones for which your name appears on a "list" somewhere & ones that are carpet bombed across zip codes/routes. The former has a pretty decent chance -- pretty high with reputable companies, esp mags/catalogs/credit cards/etc. The latter, it's case by case. Some honor it (eg Valpak), some have no way of suppressing you. In either case we provide you Sender info (click on the company tab) w information in case you want to give them a piece of your mind :).