Silicon Valley Newborns to Get Immediate Email

May 25, 2001

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (Reuters) - First you get spanked, then you get spammed.

Under a new program being sponsored by a Silicon Valley hospital, some northern California newborns will get an e-mail address within minutes of being born, officials said on Thursday.

Sequoia Hospital has teamed up with Namezero.com Inc. to offer "tech-savvy" parents the option of launching their infants online long before they take their first steps, giving them e-mail and a personalized domain name shortly after they take their first gulps of air.

The service will provide "access to free email and URL forwarding, as well as online tips and resources for child care and parenting," Nemezero said in a statement.

"As our society's communications structure becomes increasingly centered around the Internet, the domain name is becoming an important form of identity, much like a social security number," Namezero President Bruce Keiser said.

"By registering a child's name at birth, parents are ensuring that the child will have it throughout their lifetime."

Linda Kresge, chief nurse executive at Sequoia, said the service make the Silicon Valley hospital the first in the country to offer free Internet domains and e-mail addresses for babies. "It's a fun way to welcome new babies to the 21st century," Kresge said.