Canadians can opt out of telemarketing calls with iOptOut.

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Michael Geist latest project is sure to strike a chord with anyone who hates telephone sales pitches.  Yesterday, he launched iOptOut.  In his own words, here's why:

Regular readers of my work will know that I have been frustrated by Canada's do-not-call list, which contains far too many exceptions and has taken an embarrassingly long time to become operational.  In response, today I am launching iOptOut, a website that will allow Canadians to opt-out of further phone calls (and emails) from dozens of organizations with a single click. 

I began to develop the site soon after the do-not-call bill became law.  The premise is simple – under the law, exempted organizations (which include charities, political parties, polling companies, newspapers, and companies with a prior business relationship) are permitted to make unsolicited telephone calls despite the inclusion of a number in the do-not-call registry. However, organizations must remove numbers from their lists if specifically requested to do so. 

iOptOut automates the creation and maintenance of your personal do not call list.  Yes, you should still add yourself to the CRTC's list, when and if they ever get around to implementing the do not call legislation passed in 2005.  In the meantime, iOptOut lets you add organizations you don't want to hear from to your own personal list, and then notifies them of that fact.  

Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry make Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.