HaveTheyReadItYet is the first generally available privacy-protection and receipt-notification tool for users of Microsofts Outlook Express. It runs in the background under MS Windows, and automatically inserts special images called "stamps" into new Outlook Express message composition windows. Anytime after a stamped message is sent, the sender of the message or anyone who has received it can click on the stamp image and see when and "where" (in terms of Internet addresses) the message has been opened.
Anyone can download the program for free and can install and use any number of copies with complete anonymity. Each copy comes with five re-usable stamps, allowing indefinite no-charge use by anyone who does not need to track more than five messages at one time. Users can purchase additional stamps to track more messages, or can use unlimited free stamps that bear logos of HaveTheyReadItYet partner companies.
Users benefit from:
- time saved on phone calls to confirm that messages have arrived,
- miscommunication prevented when a sender wrongly assumes that a message has been read, and
- better coordination when e-mail is used in any time-sensitive situation.
HaveTheyReadItYet servers never receive or store any confidential information. Its technology does not affect the routing of e-mail messages, and does not require identifying information about senders or receivers. Unlike "spyware" services that hide tiny transparent images in e-mail messages, HaveTheyReadItYet stamps are never hidden from recipients, never run code of any kind on a recipients computer, and anyone who clicks on them can see all of the information they collect. It protects the privacy of both senders and receivers of e-mail messages by allowing any party to an e-mail conversation to see whether the conversation is being observed by people who are not listed as recipients. The products growing postage-stamp image catalog contains about a hundred images, and users can create their own.