Canada Task Force Calls For Anti-Spam Law 91
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."
Re:So when will be the first time I hear... (Score:1)
Re:So when will be the first time I hear... (Score:1)
It doesn't narrowly target spam, but outlaws a wide swath of legitimate email.
Misleading headers: Look at the last 10 emails you sent. Could some enemy construe any of them as "misleading"?
Look at the way the proposal targets those whose products are promoted by spam, even if they had nothing to do with sending or encouraging the spam.
Say you don't like bill gates. Send spam advertizing his pr
Idea (Score:1, Redundant)
Of course this has never been said on /. yet. mod me redundant please but hopefully eventually joe user will catch on.
Re:Idea (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Idea (Score:1)
This is precisely why capitalism works, don't you see!
Re:Idea (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Idea (Score:2)
Re:Idea (Score:2)
Some spam can be easily filtered out and some can't. As soon as you figure out how to filter one type the spammers come out with another.
The only way to stop spam completely is to remove the financial reward for spamming and I don't see that happening.
Re:Idea (Score:2)
Re:Idea (Score:2)
Re:Idea (Score:2)
Re:Idea (Score:2)
Re:Idea (Score:1)
Re:Idea (Score:2)
Furthermore, I'd argue that spam filtering has been a great success. It doesn't solve the bandwidth problem, but it does prevent the lost productivity spent deleting 100+ spam messages a day (in my case).
Re:Idea (Score:2)
Re:Idea (Score:2)
That is all they have to do, because there are plenty of stupid people out there who respond to it. If we drastically reduce the number of people responding (big if, and I've no idea how to, short of physical violence) then the money will stop rolling in, and they'll have to find some other way to get us to part with it. The only long term workable solution
Re:Idea (Score:2)
When the general public starts treating email as a legitimate communications channel, rather than a novelty, we will see significant falloff of spam.
Re:Idea (Score:1)
From the report (p 24 Chapter 5 "Promoting Public Awareness") "Some of the simplest messages - such as 'do not open unsolicited emails,' 'do not buy from spammers' and 'do not provide personal information if you are not certain who you are dealing with' - have either not yet reached all users or not been understood. For example, the Ipsos-Reid Ipsos Trend Report Canada for May-June 2004 reported that more than one third of online Canadians open their spam emails, and that the main reason t
Once the RCMP starts hunting spamsters (Score:1, Insightful)
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
Precisely which "tough penalties"? (Score:4, Interesting)
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...;-))
Re:Precisely which "tough penalties"? (Score:2)
" 'I cannot overemphasize the importance of good grammar.'
What a crock. I could easily overemphasize the importance of good grammar. For example, I could say: "Bad grammar is the leading cause of slow, painful death in North America," or "Without good grammar, the United States would have lost World War II."
Re:Precisely which "tough penalties"? (Score:1)
I notice Geist says that Opt-In will be enforced (Score:3, Insightful)
Cool!
Re:I notice Geist says that Opt-In will be enforce (Score:1)
It's a summary of the law proposed by a crown task force. That's how they make laws up in Canada.
Besides, I'd move to Vancouver, what with spring being 10 days earlier than it was 10 years ago
I don't like the encouragement to litigation (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I don't like the encouragement to litigation (Score:1)
Re:I don't like the encouragement to litigation (Score:1)
Re:I don't like the encouragement to litigation (Score:1)
I suspect the reason for that is that corporate America has little accountability. The only recompense t
Re:I don't like the encouragement to litigation (Score:4, Interesting)
We have anti-spam laws, but these are constructed so that it is almost impossible for an individual or a company to start a court case against a possible spammer.
OTOH we have a public institution Forbrugerombudsmanden [forbrug.dk] (in danish). They accept complaints on any kind of possible spam originating from Denmark.
When too many spam complaints are directed to them they go to court against the spammer. I don't think they have ever lost a court case against spammers, and in the cases where they have won the fines have been high enough to stop the spammer and stop other possible spammers from even starting.
In two cases I know that danish spammers have stopped after I have threathened to tell Forbrugerombudsmanden [forbrug.dk].
Does it help? Well, just look at the amount of spam originating from Denmark.
Re:I don't like the encouragement to litigation (Score:1)
Do not e-mail list (Score:4, Interesting)
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.
Re:Do not e-mail list (Score:1)
Same here. The only phone calls I get now are from friends, relatives, and companies I actually do business with. How sweet it is!
But so long as most spamhauses are in Florida, I predict nothing will be done here in the US, so I salute Canada for doing something whilst we fidd
Re:Do not e-mail list (Score:1)
If it works GOOD, next week I'll send you the list of Credit Card and Bank account numbers the Phishers aren't allowed to use too.
Thanks Uncle Sam, glad you are involved now. I'm sure a new Department of Email Security is on the way. I bet these spammers back off when they see our threat level at Mauve, or Taupe.
Re:Do not e-mail list (Score:2)
canadia vs the world (Score:1)
Re:canadia vs the world (Score:2)
Re:canadia vs the world (Score:1)
The Spam Tour site would be a nice match with this one. [primus.ca]
Have in common (Score:2, Troll)
Pass a law for nothing!
Constipated? Pass a Law against it!
Replace common sense with government BS? PASS A LAW!
Re:Have in common (Score:2)
Does 'BS' possibly stand for Belinda Stronach?
Re:Have in common (Score:2)
She's such a dirty girl... Dirty... Hot assed dirty girl...
This is all fine and dandy, but... (Score:1)
Hope be with ye,
Cyan
Re:This is all fine and dandy, but... (Score:2)
If it's one small country which 80% of spam comes from, all it takes is a few big players to blacklist the entire country
Re:This is all fine and dandy, but... (Score:1)
Countries which don't have (effective) laws against spam, might also not have (effective) laws against hunting down spammers and making them into spam.
We could organize safaris.
Perhaps canada could pass a law to make it illegal to buy anything from a spammer. That might slightly reduce the demand.
Re:This is all fine and dandy, but... (Score:2)
All of a sudden (Score:2)
Here's the solution: (Score:1)
Spammers need to be hounded off the net. No ifs, ands, or butts. They need to go and should be subject to direct retribution equivalent to their own actions which amount in the aggregate to a DDoS on the mail systems across the Internet.
Fix Florida! (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:How canI help to do that? (Score:1)
Re:How canI help to do that? (Score:1)
3330 GARFIELD ST., NW, 20008
WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Honorary Consulate OF BELGIUM
11330 N.W. 36TH TE., 33178
MIAMI, FLORIDA
Step 1: make a friend at a consulate.
Step 2: have the consulate write to the attorney general of the state of the spammer. this gets
-way- more response than j random person.
keep a paper trail. send stuff thru the mail, on your most official looking letterhead; don't try to do this by email - your email will be considered spam.
Step 3: contact spammer, agree to st
Re:New solution: (Score:1)
Also, if the fourth list in the chain knows the details of my signup to the first list, that information is useless because almost everyone now has that information.
What should be used to threaten Cdn spammers... (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re:What should be used to threaten Cdn spammers... (Score:1)
Prove these revenues came from spam. These people just visited my site and ordered.... ;)
Re: Canada Task Force Calls For Anti-Spam Law (Score:2)
But if it's because the car's brakes are unable to hold it if there is a very slight slope, I think you would ahve a good case against the motor manufacturer, and if all their cars were like that, you could expect a big federal case. I don't see Dell or MS in court.
Putting a not road worthy v
Will not be enforced (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Will not be enforced (Score:1)
Re:Will not be enforced (Score:2)
It also heavily depends on the skill level of the organization, and if they actually have someone who knows the various tech issues. I've seen everything from web pages created in Frontpage (with major layout issues) to other computer problems. The campaign manager is often flooded with offers during a campaign
Re:Will not be enforced (Score:1)
The one that troubles me, I had only given to my case worker, who handles my provincial disability stuff. I created that email account solely for communication with her, and hadn't given it to anyone else. It should never have left that privileged bit, but it did somehow.
I heard the name (Score:3, Funny)
Say it over and over.. (Score:1)
to the tune of the the monty python spam song.
sounds like my mail server trying to deal with all the bloody spam.. spam spam spam...
canspamada
sorry
yes it has been a slow week
Spam Task Force Calls For Anti-Canada Law (Score:1, Flamebait)
As a Canadian... (Score:2, Funny)