Cypra Media Strengthens Email Privacy with Industry-Standard Encryption

Adopts MD5 to battle suppression-list abuse

MONTREAL -- (Aug. 25, 2009) – As a member of the Email Sender and Provider Coalition (ESPC), Cypra Media today announced its full compliance with the ESPC member requirement to support MD5-encrypted suppression list files.

The MD5 algorithm is a one-way cryptographic function that protects so-called “suppression lists” of valid email addresses whose owners have opted out of future email messages from a particular sender. Once such a list is encrypted with MD5, there is no direct way for someone to extract the email address value in its plain-text original form. This prevents the list entries from being mailed mistakenly or egregiously.

“Suppression list abuse has a damaging effect on the industry, company reputation and brands, and most importantly, consumer trust in email. While we have supported MD5 encryption for some time now, we believe it is important that the industry collectively follows suit,” said Andrew O’Halloran, chief privacy officer at Cypra Media.

In its recent best-practice guidelines for members, the ESPC stated that “using MD5 eliminates the risk of accidentally sending email to a marketer’s suppression files, and greatly reduces the risk of them being stolen and spammed by a person in the chain of custody of the suppression list.”

Following the ESPC guidelines for best practices, O’Halloran said that Cypra reconfirms its commitment to:

1. Allow customers to download subscriber and suppression lists in MD5 one-way encrypted format
2. Support uploading of suppression lists in MD5 one-way encrypted format
3. Teach customers about the benefits of using MD5 over plain-text distribution of data
4. Make available, on the Cypra website, its data-sharing policies and support of MD5 encryption for distribution of data

About the ESPC

Formed in November 2002, the ESPC boasts a membership comprising many of the brightest and most innovative minds in the email industry, including email service providers, mail transfer agents, Internet service providers, application and solution developers, and deliverability solutions providers. Cypra Media is one of 70 member companies of the ESPC. For more information, please visit www.espcoalition.org .

About Cypra

Cypra Media Inc., a privately held company in Montreal, specializes in permission-based email marketing, data management, and delivery services that make it easy for clients to reach their customers, members, and markets, and produce results at a uniquely affordable price. Cypra is located at 1400 rue Antonio-Barbeau, Suite 202, Montreal, QC, H4N 1H5, Canada. Tel: (514) 287-0458; Web: www.cypra.com .

Press contact: Lisa Figlioli
(203) 625-0082
l.figlioli@cypra.com