John Daly, the man behind opting out, passes away at 80

Every year Beloit College lists a group of analogies and cultural references to mark the differences between generations. One that should have been included in the list this year is that, as long as this group of students can remember, they've always been able to opt out of receiving marketing messages.

The ability to opt out of marketing messages may seem like an idea that has always been around but we owe one man, John Daly, for giving consumers control of how retailers contact them.

Sadly Daly, who served in the Korean War and worked as a photographer for the Washington Post, passed away on Aug. 27 due to a blood infection and heart disease. He was 80.