Question: Do you read other people’s junk mail?
Many people around the world receive postal mail that does not belong to them. Such mail includes letters from loved ones, post cards, billing statements and more. Many times, the mail comes in the name of some person who used to get mails at some address before, but does not live or have that address anymore. You yourself may have probably gotten someone else’s mail by now. Usually, many people either throw such mail away, or they return it to the post office. Still, many other people open such letters and packages to see what is inside1.
I wonder now as to whether you treat junk mail in a similar fashion as non-junk mail that is addressed to other people. Since junk mail is not necessarily requested by the receiver, does that result in you reading other people’s junk mail?
Is unwanted junk mail the private property of other people?
Yesterday, I was going through my mail and noticed, as usual, a lot of junk mail2. I started wondering if there were people out there who deliberately read other people’s junk mail. Sure, junk mail may not be as important in your view as other forms of mail. However, if junk mail comes in the name of someone else, it belongs to that someone else technically, according to mailing standards at least.
Is junk mail therefore the private property of other people, just like private non-commercial letters from friends, family and other people? Is any form of mail the complete private property, in your view, of the person it was addressed to?
Do you read other people’s junk mail?
Even if the original person, in whose name the junk mail came, does not want the junk mail, can you still read and use their junk mail and coupons? Do you think junk mail should be considered the same as any other mail? Or does junk mail that is addressed to other people receive a different treatment from you? Do you read other people’s junk mail? Or do you do something else with it?
Please let me know what you think. Thank you for reading. 
I have to go now and throw out some junk mail that I got today.
Footnotes
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- The ethics of whether or not to read other people’s mail that comes to you will be discussed soon [↩]
- Junk mail is usually advertisement or similar mail that is sent to you without you inquiring about it. It includes coupons, special discounts, announcement of new stores or products, and many more things. For example, if I get 1 piece of real letter like a bill, which can be considered junk mail by many people, I will get about a pound or more worth of junk mail which will include flyers for new fitness stores, coupons for restaurants, specials on oil and tire change, discounts on eye surgeries, and more. [↩]
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( May 1st, 2008 at 10:25 am )
Yep, I read others junk mail.
1- they would just throw it away anyways.
2- I’m nosy like that.
:O)
George
( May 3rd, 2008 at 1:19 pm )
heck no I don’t read other’s junk mail! I hate that stuff!
( May 3rd, 2008 at 5:27 pm )
LOL I don’t read my own junk mail much less others. I really hate the spam side of email.
( May 5th, 2008 at 7:28 am )
I agree with CellPhones…I don’t read my own, why would I waste my time reading someone elses….unless of course its from a, um “questionable” advertiser! That might be interesting.
( May 6th, 2008 at 3:31 am )
I have to agree with the comments above - why waste time reading other peoples spam, when I don’t even read the one I’m getting ? The only possible reason to do so is if you want to spy on someone - the kind of spam someone gets often reflects the type of websites he visits.
( May 6th, 2008 at 8:46 am )
I don’t even read my own junk mail — I definitely wouldn’t read anyone else’s!
( May 6th, 2008 at 1:53 pm )
i dont ever read mine so of course im not gonna read theirs… unless i wanted to spy on them or something o_O
-Johnny
( May 6th, 2008 at 3:47 pm )
Private property is usually something wanted — so is junk mail that is not wanted private? i wouldn’t think so. It’s like going through someone’s waste basket. It could reveal stuff you wouldn’t want revealed though, so in that case, it is invasion of public privacy. Makes sense?
( May 8th, 2008 at 3:09 pm )
I always do, heheh. I mean, private stuff is always more interesting, right?
( May 9th, 2008 at 3:08 am )
I do not read the Junk mail. I do not like them. I just delete them when I found them. Thanks for your post!
( May 9th, 2008 at 1:24 pm )
I don’t even read my own junk mail. I just shred them so no one else can get into the information.
( May 9th, 2008 at 1:44 pm )
I don’t have time to read my own junk mail, which, by the way, isn’t very interesting. Why would I read anyone else’s?
( May 9th, 2008 at 2:22 pm )
Sometimes I do read those junk mails, but when I am free. Most of the time, I throw them away directly.
( May 13th, 2008 at 12:26 am )
Never in my whole life that read other peoples junk mail. In fact, the people who lived before in my house gets a mail almost every week. And, I didn’t open not even a single mail. I just put it in an empty shoe back. In case he comes back and look for it.
( May 13th, 2008 at 1:31 pm )
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. It really depends on my mood.
( May 15th, 2008 at 6:55 am )
sometimes - it’s so rare that i get any mail at all
( May 18th, 2008 at 6:30 pm )
I don’t read other people’s junk mails. If the janitor put other people’s mail in my box, I will just throw it back to that person’s box. If I don’t know who the receiver is, I’ll just throw it away. But I might be interested in the content if it is catelogs from department stores. LOL.
( May 22nd, 2008 at 4:56 pm )
Just delete them, no wasting time on reading it, and I hate it!!
( May 22nd, 2008 at 9:16 pm )
why waste time reading other peoples spam, instead its better to go through the blog and make sufficient changes where ever necessary. The only possible way to do so is if you want to detect on someone - the kind of spam someone gets often reflects the type of websites he visits.
( May 25th, 2008 at 10:38 am )
No, I don’t read it..I am not that busy body to read something that is not mine even if being delivered wrongly to me..
( May 31st, 2008 at 2:09 am )
Junk mails are big no-no. One should not read other’s junk mail. I myself don’t have time to read my mails regularly how I can read other mail.
( June 9th, 2008 at 7:03 pm )
I do not read the Junk mail =)
( June 19th, 2008 at 2:05 am )
If i read junk mail, its allways about blondes
( June 22nd, 2008 at 7:00 pm )
Wow, Read someone else’s junk mail? I don’t even read mine. It goes straight into the trash because I don’t want to give the ——-s who sent it the satisfaction of me reading it, even if they’ll never know I did
( July 19th, 2008 at 4:40 am )
I do not read junk mail ever. I just hate to see them. Honestly i do not have time for others mails.
( July 25th, 2008 at 5:47 pm )
I barely read my regular mail - and I signed up for GreenDimes to clean it up even more!
( August 11th, 2008 at 10:17 am )
Sometimes I read my junk mails. but no importance that mails. It really depends on my mind.
( August 11th, 2008 at 10:18 am )
I will check all mail folders. either inbox or junk mail.
( August 14th, 2008 at 7:38 am )
no, i don’t waste time with it