By "humanize transactional email", they mean "make spam more effective". We're going to need filters for transactional emails that filter out the spam part.
What? Transactional emails are by definition not bulk emails. They're sent in response to an event, like when you've requested a password reset or when the system warns that the CPU is on fire.
Exactly this; transactional or product based emails are baked into every web service or mobile app you use today. People depend on them for information they want, but the content shouldn't be owned by a developer. That's our goal :)
E-mail doesn't have to be bulk to have spam in it. Not that I agree that the implication the parent post makes will be widespread, but I can certainly see some companies using such e-mails as an intrusive (spammy) marketing opportunity.
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They already do. Blocking images in emails usually helps. Blocking third-party content is essential. Some of the usual suspects, such as "constantcontact", should just be blocked.