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> initial email open rates rose from 70% to 86%

I know this is common knowledge, but it still really creeps me out that companies can track this.

Disable auto-image loading, and it will cut down the ability for companies to do this.

Unfortunately, this often times leads to direct phone calls along the lines of, "Hey taftster, did you get my email? It shows that you haven't opened it yet."

This side-effect is also very annoying.

Who gives companies their personal phone number?

I get unenrolled from electronic statements from Capital One and a local credit union if I go 12 months without “opening” an e-mail from them. I do open and read their e-mails but since I don’t have image loading enabled, they don’t know that so they “helpfully” start sending me paper bills again, and stop sending me the e-mails to say that the bills are ready. It’s incredibly annoying.

Perhaps this is from a nosy colleague who has enabled read receipts. I learned this the hard way when I "didn't see" an email I had in fact opened.

hey.com and icloud email blocks this by default.

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