We’ve written before (and here) about the problems faced by congressional staff trying to manage the ever increasing amount of constituent email. There’s so much email (some might say spam) coming from third-party sites that members communications offices are drowning and looking toward technology to help solve the problem.
Well I guess they’ve found a way to weed out some of the mass mailings. Read on.
Earlier this week a group of 100 consumer organizations called on Congress to stop using what it calls a "logic puzzle" computer program that lets members' Web sites block machine-generated (as opposed to human, one-note-at-a-time) e-mail.
According to the press release, “several Congressional offices recently implemented a "logic puzzle" computer program that requires a constituent to answer a random computer-generated question before sending an email to their representative.â€
The actual letter (below the press release) to members of Congress explains that
If your office has implemented this technology, your constituents see the following message (or a similar variant) before they can write to you:
Unfortunately, with the advent of email communication, some organizations have begun to use automated programs to send messages to Congress on behalf of constituents -- better known as "SPAM." To prevent this practice we ask that you answer the question below. When you enter the correct response it ensures that the message is coming from a real person and helps your Representative respond to you as quickly as possible.
And the group does recognize the scale of the problem, for it concludes its letter with this offer:
In this modern communication environment, people expect members of Congress to accept and respond to electronic messages, despite the administrative burden that may pose. We recognize the challenge that you face, and we would like to work with you, your staff and the congressional IT staff to improve the way Congress receives constituent messages. We want to ensure that all constituent messages get to you and work with you towards long-term solutions that will facilitate your work sorting and responding to such messages.
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