Japan Passes Anti-spam Law

Dr. Tom writes: "Japan Today reports on the new anti-spam law in Japan (which went into effect Thursday). The law's main feature is that it prohibits sending email with nonexistent or spoofed addresses -- a practice common among spammers. It also requires senders to clearly identify UCE as such (so users can install automated blocking tools if they so desire) and provide opt-out functionality. The UCE problem is especially severe in Japan where local phone calls are not free and users must currently pay for downloads of email. Opt-out features are a bad idea, though, because when you opt-out, it just proves your email is valid and the spammers can sell that. But requiring UCE to contain a "Bulk" keyword allows users to have their ISPs block the downloads automatically. The Diet is also considering legislation that would make all UCE illegal."