Issue Position: Internet - Anti-Spam

Issue Position

Unsolicited junk e-mail costs US companies $17 million each year. Although 26 states have enacted anti-spam laws, the internet transcends state boundaries and spammers do not respect state law. Zoe is committed to providing a national solution to end the blight of spam.

As everyone knows, the flood of unsolicited junk e-mail has become a real nuisance. But spam is not only a consumer nuisance. According to Ferris Research, spam cost U.S. companies more than $17 billion in 2005. This figure includes lost productivity and the additional equipment, software and manpower needed to combat spam.

The problem is not just the volume of spam, it's tracking down the bad actors. Often, spammers use multiple e-mail addresses or disguise the routing information so they can't be identified. In a recent report, the FTC found that 66% of spam e-mails contain false information of some sort. The FTC also found that 17% of pornographic spam included adult images in the body of the message, making it nearly impossible for parents to shield their children from such images.

California, along with about 25 other states, has enacted anti-spam laws. But the Internet does not respect state lines. We need a national solution to the blight of spam.

Zoe's bill, the "REDUCE SPAM Act of 2003":

* Requires marketers to label commercial spam.

* Requires marketers to establish a valid return e-mail address where a person can opt-out of receiving further e-mails.

* Prohibits marketers from sending any further e-mails after a person opts-out.

* Prohibits spam with false or misleading routing information or deceptive subject headings.

* Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to collect civil fines against marketers who violate these requirements.

* Creates a strong incentive for people to report violations by establishing a bounty for the first person to identify a violator and supply information that leads to the successful collection of a civil penalty by the FTC.

* Gives recipients and Internet Service Providers the right to bring civil actions against marketers who violate these requirements.

* Establishes criminal penalties for fraudulent spam.

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