US passes spam bill
2003-11-26 10:27
Washington - The US Senate on Tuesday approved a law aimed at stamping out unsolicited spam e-mail but no-one should expect a miraculous emptying of inboxes cluttered with adverts for sex aids.
The move would not halt all spam but would give computer users the chance to get off e-mail lists. The bill also prohibits the sending of fraudulent spam and introduces stiff fines for illegal messages.
"With this bill, Congress is saying that if you're a spammer, you could wind up in the slammer," said Senator Charles Schumer, one of the chief backers of the bill.
"There's no single solution to solving the spam scourge, but this bill takes a number of needed steps to help people reclaim their inboxes," the New York Democrat said after the 'Can-Spam Act of 2003' was passed with a vote.
"The public will finally get some help curbing the onslaught of unwanted e-mail that threatens the viability of the internet," he said.
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the measure on Saturday. President George W Bush is expected to sign the law within weeks.
Businesses and the US public have been stepping up calls to stop unwanted adverts, ranging from pornographic pictures to cheap loans, cluttering up their mailboxes.
The US Federal Trade Commission must now draw up plans to create a no-spam registry within six months and be ready to implement it within nine months.
People who flood the internet with unsolicited adverts can be sued under the legislation for damages of up to two million dollars, an amount that can be tripled to six million dollars for intentional violations.
Spammers who send deceptive and in some cases pornographic messages could face jail terms.
Internet giants Microsoft and America On-line have welcomed the new legislation. Microsoft founder Bill Gates said the law was "an essential" first step to ending the exposure of children and families to fraudulent and pornographic adverts.
But some critics have said the law will encourage spammers by giving legal backing to some messages. The law will also be difficult to apply as many spam companies are not based in the United States.