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Canada Task Force Calls For Anti-Spam Law

Posted by timothy on from the lessig-for-spam dept.

Canrights writes "Canada's National Task Force on Spam released its final report today. Despite prior spam actions on privacy grounds in Canada, the task force is calling for a tough new anti-spam law including penalties for failure to obtain appropriate opt-in consents before sending commercial email as well as private right of action to encourage Canadian lawsuits against spammers. Professor Michael Geist, who headed up the legal aspects of the task force, provides a good summary of the recommendations."

6 of 91 comments (clear)

  1. Once the RCMP starts hunting spamsters by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1, Insightful

    You know they'll always get their ham ... byproduct ... um, email.

    About time an efficient and methodical group was let loose upon the denizens of the underworld who send out spam. Their chief weapons are Politeness, Sincerity, and a Stringent Application of Canadian Law to preserve a spam-free environment ...

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  2. Re:Idea by Phil246 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    unfortunately, the average user is still clueless and continues to both click on, and buy things from these emails :/

  3. Re:Idea by stillmatic · · Score: 2, Insightful

    There definately are ways of eliminating spam. ISP's just need to wake up to the economic reality that moving spam across their networks is wasting money.

  4. I notice Geist says that Opt-In will be enforced by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 3, Insightful

    as opposed to the totally unworkable opt-out-unless-you're-rich-and-powerful US approach to spam.

    Cool!

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  5. I don't like the encouragement to litigation by under_score · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Canada is currently a relatively non-litigious society. It would be nice if it would stay that way. The use of litigation to effect change in a society or business community seems rather suspect: it puts in place a very odd set of incentives. Lawyers get more money the more problems there are, and individuals must fear the lack of liability insurance. Lawyers and insurance companies have a lot to gain from encouraging a litigious society while individual people have nothing to gain (that I can see).

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  6. What should be used to threaten Cdn spammers... by WormholeFiend · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Taxes.

    Amend the Income Tax Act to tax revenues from spam in the insane range.

    Canada has incredible legislative talent at finding new taxes to impose on people, and it's about time they start using this power for the Forces of Good.

    Now if that happens and some spammer evades his taxes, it's off to a Federal PMITA prison.

    And no conjugal visits.