FC: Groups ask FTC to can spam; opponents say it goes too far

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

http://news.com.com/2100-1029-956502.html?tag=politech

   FTC asked to can spam
   By Declan McCullagh 
   September 4, 2002, 8:26 AM PT

   Spam has become such a menace to the Internet that the Federal Trade
   Commission should take swift steps to staunch the flow of bulk e-mail,
   three consumer groups said Wednesday.
   
   In a 14-page set of proposed rules that already has drawn fire as
   overly regulatory, the groups suggest that the FTC outlaw commercial
   e-mail that misrepresents the content of the message or fails to
   provide a way to unsubscribe from the mailing list.
   
   "Spam is threatening the value of the Internet," said Samuel Simon,
   chairman of the ">Telecommunications Research and Action Center
   (TRAC). "We believe there is regulatory authority for the Federal
   Trade Commission to act and do something. It's not perfect, but if the
   rule we ask for is enacted, spam will be reduced significantly."
   
   Wednesday's proposal, also backed by the National Consumers League and
   Consumer Action, comes as concerns about spam grow more and more
   acute. Corporate networks are becoming so clogged by e-mail pitches
   for pornography, moneymaking schemes and health products that spam
   could make up the majority of message traffic on the Internet by the
   end of this year.
   
   Some legal experts, however, caution that because the proposed rules
   regulate online communications more severely than offline
   advertisements, the courts would toss the regulations out as
   unacceptable. The Direct Marketing Association opposes the suggested
   rules as overly intrusive, and the American Civil Liberties Union says
   the rules would be unconstitutional if adopted by the FTC.

   [...]



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