‘Can Spam’ isn’t a cryptic question, and in this context it doesn’t refer to a delicious tinned meat product. The Can Spam bill was signed in December of 2003 by President Bush and was approved 97-0 in a Senate vote. The bill sets out the first national standards dealing bulk unsolicited commercial email;emailers of unsolicited commercial email are prohibited from using false addresses to disguise their identity (this process is known as ’spoofing’). The bill also requires that mailing campaigns have clearly accessible and easily usable opt-out mechanisms, and that emails transmitted must include clear and unambiguous subject lines. Taking addresses from websites for the purpose of bulk emailing is prohibited.Violations of the bill will land the violator with a misdemeanor charge, accompanied by up to one year in jail.
So what’s the problem? If this happened in 2003, why am I still receiving spam emails? Simple: many countries do not have laws governing the transmission of spam, and the US laws are unenforceable. While the Can Spam bill is well meaning it has resulted in only a few prosecutions; meanwhile spam continues to plague individuals and businesses daily.
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