Bush signs spam controlling bill

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The U.S President, George W. Bush, yesterday signed a bill into law establishing federal rules for commercial e-mail and penalties for unsolicited mass spamming. The act will take effect on New Years Day and will hopefully be the first step of many to ridding the world of all forms of SPAM and junk email.

[blockquote]Known as the CAN-SPAM Act, the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 takes effect Jan. 1. The law prohibits the use of false header information in bulk commercial e-mail and requires unsolicited messages to include opt-out instructions. Penalties for violations include fines of up to US$250 per e-mail, capped at up to $6 million.

The bill's authors, Montana Republican Senator Conrad Burns and Oregon Democrat Senator Ron Wyden, praised the legislation as a powerful tool for countering the spam onslaught cluttering inboxes.
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Enverex

and will hopefully be the first step of many to ridding the world of all forms of SPAM and junk email

Because it's not like any other Country or even Continent has done anything about it :rolleyes2

Spinner

Yeah, but like in the UK, we've past legislation banning SPAM, but that doesn't really help considering the majority of SPAM comes from either the U.S or ASIA. So passing law in the U.S is a very significant step indeed.

Enverex

Spinner had this to say
Yeah, but like in the UK, we've past legislation banning SPAM, but that doesn't really help considering the majority of SPAM comes from either the U.S or ASIA. So passing law in the U.S is a very significant step indeed.

But it isn't the "First"....

panzerkw

Most US spammers have moved their bases offshore to the carribbean or South America, where enforcement of the new law will be impossible.

Spinner

Which is sadly another problem. But like I said, it's a start.

As for the U.S, well I'm no expert on what bills, laws etc have been passed in various states, or even on a country wide scale, but from what I have read, though it clearly won't be enough to immediately make a dent in the amount SPAM people get, this is the first of its kind for America on this scale. Even if before now there has been some form of SPAM regulation in place, that is pretty moot, because they won't pass the same bill twice, the recent bill will clearly bring something new to the party.

It's pretty much the same deal around the world, more and more countries are putting laws in place to try and combat SPAM, but until every country makes the effort, SPAMMERS (like panzerkw quite rightly said) will just keep going else where.

panzerkw

The only way to really stop spammers is to contact the ISP's that harbor them. But most people don't know how, and the spammers forge the headers of the email address so that finding what ISP the message came from is difficult.

GHoosdum

Is the ACLU gonna sue Bush for this like they sue him for every other thing he tries to do for the American people?

panzerkw

If anything, the law tells business how to spam people legally

mmonnin

When the bill passed congress I started to get a lot less spam in my inbox. Still get some but not nearly as many.

panzerkw

Nah it ain't that. I think the law doesn't take effect until 1 January. The spammers are just reconfiguring their progs to circumvent the law, or just moving offshore. They will be back.