Ads in the Gmail Tabbed Inbox

One of the features of the new Gmail tabbed inbox is email-like ads placed by Gmail.

Screenshot of the new Gmail ads.
Screenshot of the new Gmail ads.
When you click on an ad, it opens up into a new window, behaving very similarly to an email. People can even forward the email to another person.
What the user sees when the click on an ad
What the user sees when the click on an ad
This new ad type and the placement in the promotions tab has generated a lot of discussion on a number of different things related to email, abuse and spam.

  1. Is this an email? 
  2. Is this covered under CAN SPAM?
  3. If it is covered under CAN SPAM, is Google violating the law by not providing an opt out?
  4. Is Gmail acting abusive?
  5. Should anti-abuse groups take a stand against Google doing this?
  6. Should marketing groups take a stand against Google for doing this?

I’ll talk a little more about these questions in upcoming blog posts. But before I do, I’d love to hear from folks here what you think about these questions. And what do you think of the new tabbed inboxes?

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