Slashdot Mirror
Canada Task Force Calls For Anti-Spam Law
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."
Or are there some bulk mailers for whom life in a forced labor camp on water and SPAM would do? (I know that latter thought risks being modded down for undue leniency...;-))
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.
as opposed to the totally unworkable opt-out-unless-you're-rich-and-powerful US approach to spam.
Cool!
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
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).
Helping with organizational effectiveness is our job.
The U.S. FTC "do-not-call" list worked wonders for phone spam for our household. We used to get at least 40 phone spams per month and now get less about 3 per month. Perhaps it could be employed to reduce the volume of spam, too.
To prevent contributing to spammers' DB of addresses, the list could be handled on a query-only basis. It's not fool proof, but any spammer caught with an HD full of "do-not-email" names would be in for a world of hurt.
I'm sure this proposal will get the obligatory "why this won't work" form letter, but then what solution to spam doesn't have a a long list of problems.
Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.
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.
We just had a provincial election here in British Columbia yesterday. During the campaign, my email was bombarded by spam, from all the parties fielding candidates. I received an average of fifteen political emails per day, on each of my email accounts. Interestingly, one of these accounts was created for, and only known to, the Ministry of Human Resources, a part of the government, and it received just as much spam as the others. If the government is directly sending, or is complicit in the sending of unsolicited email, what makes you think a law against it will be followed or enforced?
Stasis is death. Embrace change.
was going to be CAN-SPAM-ADA.
I am all for this as long as it does not affect my communications with Mr. Rufus Mukhenze of the Nigerian Bank of Commerce.
Adventure City Tours