I guess we all have different views on ethics, maybe I'm just used to seeing spam and tossing it out. I find it harmless now because I'm so used to getting it...but its interesting to see how offended people get when they see unsolicited virtual mail which can be deleted with a click of a button.
I'm actually more concerned about the actual spam in my real world mailbox that USPS dumps 3 times a week, no opt-out button there.
The fact that I can still log in is scaring me, I never signed up for this and nor did I even get an email. My credit card details which are valid are still present.
I find it hard to believe this information was sold and if it was, were they storing credit card info in plain string format. Wouldn't each of those businesses need an encryption key to decrypt secure card numbers. Wonder if they sold that too. Either way props to John for posting this on Medium and of course Aloke on HN.
I doubt that spam or cold emails are considered a major breach of ethics. We might as well start filing lawsuits against the thousands of startups that spam the crap out of my inbox everyday. To fix all of that I just have a really good spam filter.