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How is Congress Blocking Email?
By using a computer tool called a “logic puzzle,” designed to filter out messages generated from external web systems like this one. It requires the user to answer a puzzle question before allowing access to the legislator's web form.
This tool is similar to other blocking tools called "captcha"s. To learn more, visit the "captcha" page on Wikipedia. Typically such tools are used to prevent automated systems from pushing true spam (viagra ads, nigerian banking scams and other automated messages) into a variety of web site forms. You may also see them in use when you set up an account on a commercial website so that the company knows you are a real person. But when used by Congress, this tool has the effect of blocking millions of legitimate emails sent by real people like you.
Are the puzzle questions hard?
Not for most people, but the tool is designed to force you to go to the lawmaker's own website to send your message, rather than sending it from an organizational site where you have helpful background information and assistance drafting language. The logic puzzle asks you to do some simple math. Here are some real examples:
Please solve the following math problem: two x 1?
24: What number appears at the beginning of this question?
Which of the following numbers is largest: 53, 52, or 05?
Some people are concerned that, while the questions are simple, they may disenfranchise individuals with certain kinds of disabilities or language barriers. But most people agree that the logic puzzle is aimed primarily at participants in organizations' email campaigns and will effectively block millions of messages.
Why did lawmakers implement this tool?
Many lawmakers appear to believe that your messages, sent from an organizational website, were not really sent by you. And they apparently believe that organizations like ours are sending out messages in your name that you don't know about. Other lawmakers disagree.
We have no evidence that nonprofit advocacy organizations on any side of the political spectrum send emails in the name of their members without their member's knowledge. We do have some evidence that individuals may, from time to time, forget that they have sent a particular message. That's why it’s important that you take action now to tell the legislators that your emails are really from you! |
Representatives who removed "Logic Puzzle"--Thank you so much!
Lucille Roybal-Allard, 34 CA
John Dingell, 15 MI
Representatives that have adopted "Logic Puzzle"
This is a partial list of lawmakers who have adopted this technology as of June 17th. We need your help to identify all lawmakers--and to learn if they stop using it.
Ben Chandler, NY 6
Raul Grijalva, AZ 7
John Larson, CT 1
Marsha Blackburn, TN 7
John Boozman, AR 3
Steve Buyer, IN 4
John Carter, TX 31
Steve Chabot, OH 1
John Duncan, TN 2
Vernon Ehlers, MI 3
Trent Franks, AZ 2
Elton Gallegly, CA 24
Jim Gerlach, PA 6
J.D. Hayworth, 5 AZ
Joel Hefley, 5 CO
Duncan Hunter, 52 CA
Nancy Johnson, 5 CT
Sue Kelly, 19 NY
Don Manzullo, 16 IL
Michael McCaul, 10 TX
Devin Nunes, 21 CA
Tom Osborne, 3 NE
Ed Royce, 40 CA
Jim Ryun, 2 KS
Clay Shaw, 22 FL
Lynn Westmoreland, 8 GA
Frank Wolf, 10 VA
Jim Marshall, 3 GA
Carolyn McCarthy, 4 NY
James McGovern, 3 MA
Ed Pastor, 4 AZ
Linda Sanchez, 39 CA |
