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UK And EU May Make Unsolicited Email Illegal

Posted by timothy on from the as-well-they-ought dept.

An anonymous reader writes "According to this BBC article the UK and the EU are planning to making unsolicited email simply illegal. This doesn't do anything for prevention practically, but it does legally pave the way for measures that do. Lord Sainsbury of Turville admits it will do nothing to stop spam from outside the EU."

23 of 334 comments (clear)

  1. UK and the EU? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Last time I checked, UK was a part of the EU, and has been for decades. :P

    1. Re:UK and the EU? by Alain+Williams · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes, but the average Brit, in his heart of hearts, still doesn't really believe that.

    2. Re:UK and the EU? by csteinle · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yeah, because as a Scot I have no culture of my own within the UK. (And like the majority of Scots, I'm a unionist, BTW.) The argument that closer EU integration will destroy national cultures is completely bogus and introspective. It's also a viewpoint most vehemently held by xenophobic right-wing little Engerlanders.

      The current organisation of the EU may be seriously flawed, but that doesn't make the concept bad.

    3. Re:UK and the EU? by pubjames · · Score: 5, Insightful

      NO `brit' (btw i find that term offensive) wants anything to do with the EU,

      Speak for yourself.

      The EU is banning all gameshows which give out over 70,000, i.e Who wants to be a Millionnaire is going to have to change or be banned, THATS HOW stooopid the Europeans are.

      As a Brit who regularly travels and does business in other European countries, I find it really sad how a lot of Brits do not have an objective idea about Europe and the EU because they do not access to unbiased information about it. There is a concerted effort by a significant part of the UK press to rubbish the EU, and people such as yourself are easily influenced by them. Stories like the one you quote (and on the front page of The Times two days ago "EU would scap NHS if UK joins the Euro") only appear in the UK. And do you know why? Because they are just rubbish, made up, to influence people like yourself. Sad but true.

      Britain is Britain, the political alliance of England, Scotland and Wales, we are our own union, we don't want European trash, and we're not in Europe...

      It is funny very anti-European people such as yourself like to make this type of comment with regards to Europe, but seem completely blind to the fact that the UK has given away much of it's independance to the USA over the last half a century or so. The sad fact is that the USA has the UK in an economic vice. You should be more concerned that your Prime Minister has to be a poodle for the USA than any supposed threat to your soverignty from Europe.

  2. Forgot the "Commercial"? by Agent+Orange · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sort of nit-picking, I know, but shouldn't that be unsolicited "commercial" email. I get heaps of unsolicited email. From friends, colleagues etc...

    I would hate not to get any email that wasn't a direct response to something I sent. What would I do for 2hours every morning when I got in? :-)

  3. Uncolicited Email by jvervloet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I wonder where they'll draw the line of `unsolicited email'. Which mails fall under this category ? For mails like `RRApply for a online mortgage loan 247', it is clear, but if I send a mail to somebody, and this person doesn't like me, can he accuse me for sending unsolicited email ?

  4. Most spam comes from US and Asia by mark2003 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Or at least is targeted at the US - most of the offers I get every day are for cheap dental care, cheap medical care, loans in USD and fake diplomas from US Universities (and of course porn).

    This would indicate that most is from the US, so obviously this new law means F**k all, although I guess we could go for extradition or arrest them if they come to Europe on holiday ;)

  5. It will work. by qute · · Score: 5, Informative

    In Denmark it is already illegal for companies(but not people) to send out SPAM.

    If the EU makes SPAM illegal, then spammers cannot SPAM from the EU.
    US is also trying to stop SPAM.

    Lets say these countries are the only ones to do something. It will still work!

    Currently I put everything from china into my SPAM-folder and by golly, I'll just blacklist every country that doesn't have anti-SPAM laws.

    Problem (almost) solved :-)

    --
    -- Make software not war
    1. Re:It will work. by realdpk · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Huh, last I saw the US was trying to make sure that spamming is legal, at least for most organizations (politicians, non-profits which can do surveys "Do you prefer the crisp, cool taste of Coca Cola classic to the sewage taste of Pepsi?", etc), with laws written by the DMA.

      I could be wrong though. :)

  6. Heheheh by captainclever · · Score: 4, Funny

    1. Signup for lots of pr0n sites
    2. Receive lots of spam
    3. ???
    4. Profit!

    How long before someone gets their ass sued off as a result of this.

    Gah i hate spam :)

    --
    Last.fm - join the social music revolution
  7. ultimately... by jpnews · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...it can't (and won't) be stopped. It probably WILL be taxed, however. When these governments realize how much they could be raking in if there was a postage-like tax on spam messages, they won't be able to resist creating a broad email tax. Think, for instance, how much money postal services must be making off junk mail.

  8. EU has already made UCE illegal by kaip · · Score: 5, Informative

    EU has already made unsolicited commercial email (UCE) illegal, see article 13 of the Directive on privacy and electronic communications (2002/58/EC), after intense lobbying e.g. by EuroCAUCE.

    The directive must be implemented by the member states by 31 October 2003.

    (I just wrote statement [in Finnish] to the Finnish ministry of transports and communications on behalf of Electronic Frontier Finland of our proposed local implementation of the directive (which at the current form would allow ask-permission-spam (i.e. you would be allowed to send spam to ask permission to send more spam. :( )))

  9. Physical spam in the UK by mccalli · · Score: 4, Informative
    There are two useful services for stopping unwanted mail and calls in the UK. I'm registered with both, and they do work.

    Both services take about three months to fully kick in following registration.

    There's a loophole in the mailing one though, and a comment in another thread some time ago mentioned a way round it. Junk mail may still be delivered to 'The Occupier' by the Royal Mail. Someone a while ago mentioned there was a service to stop this too - haven't been able to find that one. Anybody know?

    Cheers,
    Ian

    1. Re:Physical spam in the UK by Scooby71 · · Score: 4, Informative

      You missed the fax preference service.

      Useful when you get fax calls on a new land line from a commercial fax bureau. More than a little annoying at 4am in the morning.

  10. A Pedant Writes by Scooby71 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Well, Welsh rugby needs saving at the moment, but their soccer team is doing ok.

    Ah you meant Whales.

  11. Radio 4 last night by Ella+the+Cat · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I heard some of the debate in Parliament on Radio 4 last night (I think, I was sleepy). I recall hearing an MP (member of parliament) suggesting in all seriousness that since faxes are supposed to have a reply address, requiring this for email would help matters. His heart is in the right place, no complaints there, but it shows how worryigly easy it is to pass inappropriate technology legislation if the legislators aren't clued up to understand the subtleties.

  12. The really nice side-effect: by mcc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Currently I put everything from china into my SPAM-folder and by golly, I'll just blacklist every country that doesn't have anti-SPAM laws.

    The interesting thing is this: let's say that the U.S. and EU do both ban spam, and all the spam is coming from outside the U.S. and EU. A *lot* of people will react the same way you do.

    That is to say, we'll suddenly see a lot more careless e-mail blocks being placed on large swaths of entire countries, some by individuals, and most likely often by ISPs. We already see a LOT of huge e-mail blocks being done by ISPs, especially AOL, without much concern for collateral damage; it isn't inconcievable that a number of random ISPs might just look at their statistics and shortsightedly go, hmm, 90% of our spam comes from (for example) Indonesia, who is going to be talking to people in Indonesia anyway, i'll just block the whole country (or maybe just most of their IP space).

    Once this starts happening, internet users and businesses in (for example) Indonesia are suddenly going to start discovering that they are having trouble communicating with the U.S., and this is because of spammers in their country. I find it likely that if this happens, their response will be to complain to their government to do something about the spammers that are making the americans block them... until one day, spam is illegal in indonesia as well, and shortsighted ISPs in indonesia are going, hey, all my spam's coming from Myanmar, why don't i just block e-mail from there..

    So if the US or EU ever adopted real antispam laws, it could start a big domino effect that would cause a lot of other countries to adopt antispam laws as well.

    --
    Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
    1. Re:The really nice side-effect: by zcat_NZ · · Score: 4, Informative

      That is to say, we'll suddenly see a lot more careless e-mail blocks being placed on large swaths of entire countries, some by individuals, and most likely often by ISPs.

      Which reminds me; could you all kindly remind your ISP's that APNIC's address space is not JUST China, Korea and the Phillipines. It includes some friendly, non-spammy countries too (NZ and Australia).

      --
      455fe10422ca29c4933f95052b792ab2
  13. send in the marines! by s4m7 · · Score: 5, Funny

    These spammers clearly represent a threat to freedom, diversity and sanctity worldwide. We must be swift and decisive in the coming days. A crippling onslaught of spamming faces us and we must stand proud in its defiance.

    We must act with haste to bring these spammers to justice. Must we wait for the "smoking gun" of a mushroom cloud? Victory can only be ours if we crush these spammers with our military might.
    and syria.

    </bushspeek>
    --
    This comment is fully compliant with RFC 527.
  14. it *is* illegal in some parts of EU by morten+poulsen · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In Denmark we have had a law against unsolicited commercial email for some time. The law was originally against fax spam, but has been extended to cover email too.

  15. Re:Don't retire your spamtraps yet... by stray · · Score: 4, Funny

    > As I read this - and INAL

    "I not a linguist" ?

  16. Thank you, anti-spam campaigners by pchown · · Score: 4, Informative

    This directive was first published in the middle of last year, I don't know why it's suddenly become newsworthy. The anti-spam campaigners have done well, though. As far as EU companies go, email will be opt-in for the whole European Economic Area (which includes the European Union). I'd like to thank the people who have put in so much effort to bring about this result.

    Another interesting legal change comes with the Electronic Commerce Directive, which removes ISP's liability when they are acting as a "mere conduit" for illegal information. This is already in force, and marks the end of Godrey v Demon.

  17. Re:This is poorly thought out. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    > Joe comes across slashdot and, offended by the diatribe, writes an angry flame in disagreement and e-mails it to Bill

    (40) Safeguards should be provided for subscribers against intrusion of their privacy by unsolicited communications for direct marketing purposes in particular by means of automated calling machines, telefaxes, and e-mails, including SMS messages. These forms of unsolicited commercial communications may on the one hand be relatively easy and cheap to send and on the other may impose a burden and/or cost on the recipient. Moreover, in some cases their volume may also cause difficulties for electronic communications networks and terminal equipment. For such forms of unsolicited communications for direct marketing, it is justified to require that prior explicit consent of the recipients is obtained before such communications are addressed to them.

    > excuse for the idea that Bill has entered into a business relationship with it, and then sends Bill spam forever without a clear sign of how to remove himself from their lists?

    (41) Within the context of an existing customer relationship, it is reasonable to allow the use of electronic contact details for the offering of similar products or services, but only by the same company that has obtained the electronic contact details in accordance with Directive 95/46/EC. When electronic contact details are obtained, the customer should be informed about their further use for direct marketing in a clear and distinct manner, and be given the opportunity to refuse such usage. This opportunity should continue to be offered with each subsequent direct marketing message