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May 02, 2003
Spam Posse
Q: How do you make spam get the heck outta Dodge?
A: Put a bounty on its head and send the posse after it.
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA, 16th district) is introducing Federal legislation to reduce spam. Called (unsurprisingly) the REDUCE Spam Act*, it would require marketers to label unsolicited commercial email (aka spam) with "ADV:" in the subject line (or "ADV:ADLT:" if it's "adult" email). There are other requirements like providing a valid return email address, mandating opt-out, etc. It allows the FTC to collect fines for violation.
By themselves, those regulations would make little dent. Here's the interesting kicker: people who track down and report spammers receive 20% of the fines collected by FTC for violations based on their reports.
In effect, it establishes a spam bounty hunter industry. According to Lessig, "The key to this idea is, as Congresswoman Lofgren puts it, that the Act would enlist a bunch of 18 year olds in the battle against non-complying spammers. 'Between the 18 year olds and the spamsters,' as she puts it, 'I’ll bet on the 18 year olds.'"
* REDUCE is actually an acronymn for Restrict and Elimnated the Delivery of Unsolicted Commercial Email. The politicians are getting as bad as the techies with the acronymania. Turns out the name, USA PATRIOT Act, is an acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. Sheesh.
Posted May 2, 2003 02:32 PM