The London Institute of Mathematical Sciences is harshing my mellow - spam newsletter

Late last year "LIMS" the London Institute of Mathematical Sciences added me to a list to receive their newsletter.

At the bottom of the newsletter there was a link to change my subscription or unsubscribe. I'd never subscribed (nor heard of them, their website was unfamiliar) and wondered why on earth I'd been added. It is always possible that I've mistakenly signed up to something and can't initially assume that someone else is at fault.

While technically clicking unsubscribe should remove me, I'd argue (admittedly pedantically but for heaven's sake this is a maths organisation and you'd think they would appreciate the precision of my logical argument) by definition I cannot unsubscribe if I've never subscribed. So I asked how / why I'd been added. Below is a summary of the redacted communications which I'm adding here in case others google to find out why they've been added to LIMS' newsletter / mailing list.

My email address should never have been added to a mailing list / newsletter without my permission, so clicking 'unsubscribe' wouldn't have uncovered how that error was made in the first place. Sadly, as you'll see, none of the other efforts I've made have managed to unsubscribe me either. A friend has advised that I contact the ICO though I'm sure they'd say "Oh for heaven's sake just click Unsubscribe" ;)

LIMS joined Twitter (@London_Inst) this month, and sent me another newsletter to tell me. Hence this post.


1. 25 November 2018 (they first emailed me on 23rd Nov)

Subject:	Re: The London Institute becomes an Independent Research Organization, and other news
Date:	Sun, 25 Nov 2018 21:56:44 +0000
From:	Me
To:	London Institute

Hi - can you clarify when I signed up to receive this? I'm not familiar with your website but the option to Unsubscribe suggests that I must have subscribed at some point.

Thanks,
Jo

2. My second reply following up, on 29 November 2018

Subject:	Re: The London Institute becomes an Independent Research Organization, and other news
Date:	Thu, 29 Nov 2018 12:12:58 +0000
From:	Me
To:	London Institute

Just wondering what the status of this enquiry is, thanks, Jo

3. My third reply on 29 November 2018

Subject:	Re: The London Institute becomes an Independent Research Organization, and other news
Date:	Thu, 29 Nov 2018 15:28:14 +0000
From:	Me
To:	[Redacted]

Thanks [Redacted] - I don't think I've been to a talk there and the website wasn't familiar to me. I am just always wary of finding myself subscribed to things as it seems to happen a lot with an academic email address (mine, I mean).

Best wishes,
Jo

On 29/11/2018 15:23, [Redacted] wrote:

Dear Jo,

I have sent an email around the Institute to see whom you are connected to/know and take it from there. I assume you would remember if you came to a talk here?

Best wishes

[redacted]

4. My fourth reply following up on 10 Dec

Subject:	Re: The London Institute becomes an Independent Research Organization, and other news
Date:	Mon, 10 Dec 2018 17:09:56 +0000
From:	Me
To:	[Redacted]

Hi [Redacted]

Any news on this?

Thanks,
Jo

5. My fifth reply, to a new message

Subject:	Re: Happy Christmas from the London Institute
Date:	Tue, 11 Dec 2018 17:39:10 +0000
From:	Me
To:	London Institute

What is going on here? Who signed me up for this? If I signed myself up (I genuinely don't remember) when did I do that? I've randomly started receiving messages from you in late November having never knowingly communicated with you before. Why?

Thanks,
Jo






6. Their reply reassuring me that they'd asked for my details to be taken off their database - this was in response to #4

Subject:	Re: The London Institute becomes an Independent Research Organization, and other news
Date:	Fri, 14 Dec 2018 11:29:30 +0000
From:	Redacted
To:	Me

Dear Jo,

I am afraid I have no finite answers on this but have requested that you are removed from the database so you will receive no further updates or seminar notices from the London Institute.

Kind regards

[Redacted]

Didn't work ;)
Everything went quiet until April 2019

7. My sixth reply to a new newsletter

Subject:	Re: London Institute in Times Higher Education and other news
Date:	Fri, 5 Apr 2019 16:04:59 +0100
From:	Me
To:	London Institute

How is it that my email address is still on your mailing list despite assurances in December 2018 that it would be removed (see attached)? I had never knowingly heard of LIMS before your first email to me in November 2018 and still have no idea how or why my address was added in the first place.

Jo

8. Six months after that we begin again...

Subject:	Re: Follow our new Twitter account and see our range of research projects
Date:	Wed, 16 Oct 2019 19:03:52 +0100
From:	Me
To:	London Institute

Why am I receiving this?

Thanks
Jo