EFF Fundraiser & Pay To Send Email Debate

“Email — Should the Sender Pay?” is an EFF fundraiser that takes place this Thursday, April 20th at the Roxie Cinema in San Francisco. It features a debate between Danny O’Brien and Esther Dyson, moderated by Mitch Kapor, that focuses on, AOL’s controversial plan to use Goodmail’s CertifiedEmail, which would charge people when they want to send email to AOL users.

In light of AOL’s adopting a “certified” email system, EFF is hosting a debate on the future of email. With distinguished entrepreneur Mitch Kapor moderating, EFF Activist Coordinator Danny O’Brien and renowned tech expert Esther Dyson will discuss the potential consequences if people have to pay to send email. Would the Internet deteriorate as a platform for free speech? Would spam or phishing decline?

Our Open Letter to AOL is a coalition of individuals and organizations (including Laughing Squid), that opposes AOL’s proposed “email tax”. Of course consistent with AOL’s history of censorship, AOL blocked all email that contained the dearaol.com domain.