This from the Associated Press today. In light of yesterday's
discussion of spam-blocking software, I thought this might be of
interest. There's more to the story, but I played editor and cut
it short.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Internet mavens who clog computers with
massive volumes of unsolicited e-mail pitches now risk landing in
prison and losing their riches under a tough Virginia law signed
Tuesday.
The penalties can apply even if the sender and recipients live
elsewhere because much of the global Internet traffic passes
through northern Virginia, home to major online companies such as
America Online and MCI and a conduit to major federal
communications hubs in neighboring Washington and its suburbs.
Although about half the states have anti-spam laws, no other
allows authorities to seize the assets earned from spamming while
imposing up to five years in felony prison time, said Gov. Mark R.
Warner and Randall Boe, AOL's chief staff attorney.
"We want to be able to put out not only a potential criminal
violation with the felony but also to seize the proceeds from this
illegal activity - their cars, boats, airplanes, homes," Warner
said.
Warner, who became a multimillionaire as a high-technology
investor before he was elected governor, said technical filters
and civil penalties have proven inadequate.
Spamming has grown into a costly problem and the No. 1 complaint
of AOL's nearly 35 million users, Boe said. AOL blocks billions of
pieces of spam each week, but billions more get through, he said.
As AOL and major competitors such as Microsoft, AT&T, MCI and
Yahoo! struggle to improve filtering technology, they hope hard-
nosed laws such as Virginia's will deter unsolicited junk e-mail.
The new law is directed at commercial bulk e-mail, with certain
provisions that kick in when someone sends at least 10,000 copies
of a message in a single day or makes at least $1,000 from one
such transmission.
"That's different than an occasional e-mail gone awry," Warner
said.
The Virginia law also prohibits tools that automate spam and the
forging of e-mail headers, which contain identification
information on the sender and its service provider. Spammers often
forge the headers to hide their identity and cover their tracks.
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|