By following the "how to" below, you'll add your name to the list of people the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) keeps who do not wish to receive commercial mail and/or telemarketing. Unfortunately, this list is only updated a few times a year so depending on when you make your request, companies which telemarket or send junk mail may not remove you for several months. However, once that happens companies which are a part of the DMA will no longer send commercial mail or telemarket you.
If this grass roots effort can spread widely enough using the internet, we can hopefully get so many households listed on the DMA's Mail and Telephone Preference Lists that it will no longer be worthwhile for companies to telemarket or send direct mail.
Unfortunately there are some companies which are not part of the DMA and therefore do not honor the DMA's preference lists. Furthermore, it is ridiculous that an update of people who do not wish to receive direct mail or telemarketing can not happen daily! Years ago when everything was not electronic a delay could be understood, but now there is no reason marketers could not pull an up to date list just before they start their marketing campaign.
Some states have laws against junk-mailing or (more likely) telemarketing individuals on a state's list of people who want to reclaim their privacy and peacefulness. These laws are a good first step, but unfortunately they also usually have some delay until the company learns of a household's preference. They do have some way of fining offending companies and they affect all companies doing business (even just calling you) in that state.
Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed a national do not call list. The Commercial Alert Organization has more details. Hopefully, the national do not call list will not have some of the same loopholes of the DMA's preference lists. Forthermore, keep in mind this FTC proposal does not affect junk mail.
More details can be found on the DMA's web site. Unfortunately it takes quite a bit of hunting to actually find out how to get your name on the lists. (Guess they don't want to make it too easy.) Further, you have to suffer through some fluffy prose about why you may want to recieve junk mail or telemarketing. They do offer a way to get your name on the list more quickly (unfortunately just the time it would take a letter to get to them) using an on-line form, but require $5 for this "service"! Why should it cost anyone money to request no more telemarketing and/or junk mail! Furthermore, your $5 will pay for their lobbying efforts against legislation to help the public regain its peace and quiet.
Send a letter to the Direct Marketing Association's Preference Services. Include your name and address, and clearly state that you do not wish to receive any direct mail from its members.
The addresses to stop junk mail are:
In the U.S.A.:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008.
In Canada:
Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association of Canada
1 Concord Gate, Suite 607
Don Mills, Ontario
M3C 3N6
In the U.K.:
Mail Preference Service
1 Leeward House Plantation Wharf
London SW113TY
England
The address to stop telemarketing:
Telephone Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008.
As mentioned above, removing your name from the respective lists is only a short term goal, and there are many loopholes. It takes months for your preference to take affect, it expires in 5 years, and not all companies use the lists are just some of the reasons legislation for making it no longer worth the while of these marketers.
On the government front, you can write your representatives and the FTC. With the exception of the recent FTC proposal regarding telemarketing, this will most likely be a long and laborious process.
On the grassroots effort front, an easy thing you can do is just link to this web site with something like "To stop receiving junk mail and telemarketing, go to http://www.codevision.com/stopjunk.html" at the bottom of your e-mails, newsgroups, and message board postings. Many e-mail programs, newsreaders, and message boards allow you to add a signature file which is automatically added to the end of anything you send. Check your programs' help section to find out how to do this.
Obviously, don't spam your friends with messages just about this. Adding it at the bottom of messages is enough.
Unfortunately, email is harder to stop because often the spammers are in other countries. However, some states already do have laws against spam. For more information on stopping spam, see CAUCE (Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email). Also, email costs spammers almost nothing to send.
Still, email is a big problem which will only get bigger. Hopefully the folks at CAUCE and others can influence strict legislation.