The service, located at ReadNotify informs a user when their email is opened, how long it is read for, where the reader is located, and who the email has been forwarded to.
When subscribing to the service, users get a ReadNotify Web page, which logs all emails sent along with a complete history.
The Australian Consumer Association's Charles Britton says that the main issue associated with this type of service is felt at the receiving end.
-The receiver is being enrolled in something they may or may not have given formal consent to," Britton said.
According to ReadNotify Webmaster Chris Drake, the service not only sends a notification email to the user showing the date and time their message was first opened it also informs the receiver that tracking is in place.
Britton says the disclosure of informing the end user is important, however, it is not the same as getting their consent.
-There are intellectual property issues in terms of rights," he said.
Drake claims emails are not stored on ReadNotify's servers for privacy reasons and -spam will not be tolerated".
ReadNotify says -message disposition notifications" - which have been around for a while - are unreliable and not compatible to most web based mail services or software.
According to Webmaster Chris Drake, the ReadNotify service is compatible with all email operating systems and software.
Currently there is no charge for the service, however a fee will be introduced in the future.
