House passes spam bill

NY Times: Lopsided Victory for Bill Curbing Junk E-Mail

The antispam measure was passed by the House on a 392-to-5 vote. The bill would make mass e-mailers liable for civil fines of up to $250 per electronic message if they tried to hide their identities. It also allows the Federal Trade Commission to begin to fashion a plan to create a "do not e-mail" registry similar to the list intended to let consumers block telephone solicitations.

Prior to the vote, Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA) announced agreement on "Historic Anti-Spam Bill":

For the first time during the Internet-era, American consumers will have the ability to say no to SPAM. What's more, parents will be able to breath easier knowing that they have the ability to prevent pornographic SPAM from reaching defenseless, unsuspecting children

It's too bad , then that this legislation will not prevent pornographic spam from reaching the email accounts of defenseless children. Instead, parents will have to wait for their unsuspecting children to receive pornographic spam before they can opt-out. As I've said before, the CAN-SPAM Act Can't Stop Spam.

See also, ClickZ: The 10 Biggest Spam Myths.

Adam Felber: Anti-Spam Legislation Dooms American Waistlines, Penises