DidTheyReadIt: You Sent It, But Did They Read It?E-mail tracking service ready to go

E-mailers can know when, whether and even where you read their messages, according to Rampell Software. The company plans to formally launch a message-monitoring service called DidTheyReadIt?

The service costs $50 a year. To use it, register on the Web site and attach the phrase "didtheyreadit.com" to the end of an e-mail address. The tracking is invisible to recipients, according to Alex Rampell, the Cambridge, Mass.-based firm's CEO. Here's the Web site.

Rampell said Didtheyreadit can be used by, among others, job applicants to make certain their resumes were received by employers and not shunted into junk e-mail folders. Similarly, parents can make sure their children are reading messages. "It gives you a piece of mind and that's what our software does," he said. Interview with Rampell.

Rampell also expects some controversy. Several critics have said the service is an invasion of privacy. "People thought Caller ID was an invasion of privacy too," he countered. "New technology brings with it increased risks and also increased responsibility for people who use it."

Mail Read Information
To: StefanoCappello@aol.com
Subject: Are you there?!?!
Sent On: 02/05/04 (4:17PM)
1st Opened: 02/05/04 (11:18PM)
Tracking Summary
Total: Opened 1 time by 1 reader
Tracking Details (latest first)
Opened: 02/05/04 (11:18PM)
Read Duration (approx.): 00:00:18
Location: (RO) ROMANIA, -, - Show Map
Organization (ISP): ROMANIA DATA SYSTEMS
Opened On: 81.196.229.49 (81.196.229.49)
Language: en-us
Browser: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.01; Windows NT 5.0)
Referrer:

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