GMX

• Further 40 per cent unaware this is common practice
• 1 in 3 Britons want the ability to opt out

1 September 2008, London: Over 40 per cent of British consumers admit to having concerns about their free email provider scanning their personal emails for advertising purposes, according research released today by GMX, www.gmx.co.uk, the free email service for more than 11 million active users. From those surveyed, an alarming further 40 per cent did not know that it was common practice at some large email providers to scan private emails for keywords that are then linked to targeted advertising. The survey of 1800 UK consumers¹ also found that Britons are heavily reliant on their free email services, with the average Briton using 2 separate personal accounts.

The GMX ‘Attitudes to Email’ study found that whilst the British public are heavy users of free email services, over 40 per cent of consumers are worried about how most free email services allow the content of their emails to be scanned in order for suitable advertisements to be placed around them. Negative responses ranged from embarrassment to real anxiety.

One third of Britons (33 per cent) believed that users should be able to opt out of such scanning should they wish. 18 per cent of respondents were not bothered by the practice and only 2 per cent believed that the practice was in their best interest. The most dissatisfied with the practice was the 25-34 year old demographic. By geographical location, London was by far the most concerned region, with over 46 per cent negatively impacted by the issue.

Whilst very few of either gender thought the practice was useful to them, the importance placed on the issue varied by gender, with only 16 per cent of women aware and unbothered by the practice versus some 26 per cent of men.

Remarkably, the study reveals that a further 40 per cent of the UK public is totally unaware that many free email providers routinely allow users’ Inboxes to be scanned for tailoring their adverts. Women appear far less informed on the issue than men, with 44 per cent of women unaware their emails may be monitored, as opposed to only 32 per cent of men. Awareness was also directly related to age, with 44 per cent of over 55 year olds unaware of the practice, as compare to only 35 per cent of 16 year olds. There were regional variations too, with a surprising 54 per cent of people from the Belfast area unaware of the issue, as opposed to only 35 per cent of people in the dark in Sheffield.

Eva Heil, Managing Director, GMX, said, “It is understandable that many Britons are wary about their private emails being scanned for advertising reasons. It is certainly important that every user is at least informed if this is done by their email service. At GMX, we view emails to be like sealed letters, and so we do not scan private email content for ad reasons”.

Whilst all email providers, including GMX, automatically scan incoming email content in order to help protect users from SPAM or virus emails, however, many competitors use private email content in the body of an email to tailor advertising to the individual user. The analysis of this content by providers seems to be a sore point for many consumers. There is a stark contrast between consumers’ everyday reliance on free email services and their uneasiness about their privacy. The average Briton maintains 2 free email accounts and checks them more than once a day. The figures lend weight to the assumption that most free email users take the scanning of emails to be the ‘price’ they pay for using a free service.

Heil added, “Most users only realise that their personal emails are being used in this way after noticing strangely optimised ads around their Inbox. British consumers should bear in mind that they have a choice of free email services that don’t do this. If they are uncomfortable with the practice, they should vote with their feet”.

With over 11 million active users, GMX draws on over a decade of free email expertise and is well placed to offer a reliable, secure service. Besides great looks, great performance and state-of-the-art functionality, GMX.co.uk offers the widest selection of first-choice addresses such as tazeen@gmx.co.uk.

Free email has grown up, find it at GMX. The new free email service can be seen at www.gmx.co.uk

¹ 1849 UK adults surveyed by Tickbox.net in July 2008 via electronic feedback form