[FYI] (Fwd) FC: Groups ask FTC to can spam; opponents say it goes too far

["Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>]

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent:      	Wed, 4 Sep 2002 12:30:39 -0400
From:           	Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
To:             	politech@politechbot.com
Subject:        	FC: Groups ask FTC to can spam; opponents say it goes too far
Send reply to:  	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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