I think that part of the purpose of this established double opt out procedure is to stop individuals signing up friends (or strangers) for sites with dubious content – you know the ones I mean! The CAPTCHA alternative doesn’t solve this situation, as most people can solve a simple puzzle.

So the auto-opt in alternative may continue to annoy these unknowingly-opted in users, who may then receive several more emails before they figure out how to remove themselves from the list.

I don’t think that double opt in is necessarily bad practice. Okay, so it may take a few minutes for the verification email to filter through, but in most cases it’ll still be labelled properly in your inbox, right? You’ll remember that you signed up to xyz.com.

Your concern is valid, Louisa, as there’s no doubt that this procedure interferes with the ready-and-willing user who simply wishes to interact with the site, but right now, I can’t think of a better alternative.

Thanks for getting me thinking about this, nonetheless!