House Passes Anti - Internet Spam Bill

[papau]

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-tech-spam-congress.html

House Passes Anti - Internet Spam Bill
By REUTERS


Filed at 3:44 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Saturday for a bill to outlaw most Internet spam and create a ``do not spam'' registry for those who do not wish to receive unsolicited junk e-mail.<snip>

The Senate unanimously passed a similar anti-spam bill last month, but it must assent to the House changes before the measure can become law. The Senate is expected to do so in the coming days.<snip>

Lawmakers faced additional pressure to put a national law into place after California passed a tough anti-spam bill earlier this year. Online marketers say it would be difficult to comply with a patchwork of conflicting state laws. The House bill, which would override state anti-spam laws, would allow businesses to send unsolicited e-mail to Internet users until they are asked to stop, an approach that some anti-spam activists say would only lead to more spam.<snip>

It also would outlaw cell-phone spam, which is commonplace in Europe and Asia. Under the provision, subscribers to cell phone services would not receive text message spam unless they have provided express authorization.<snip>

[J B]

1. Actually in the fine print,

the law actually encourages spam by completely preventing the molestation of spammers in any way, including private lawsuits, by spam victims, creating a government monopoly on anti-spam action, plus other measures.

[papau]

2. GOP sells a bill protecting spamers as a "anti-spam" bill? Why

does this not surprise me.

Why does the fact that our US Media has not pointed this out not surprise me?

sigh.....

[Melsky]

3. reminds me of that famous Orwell quote

When the United States gets fascism, it will call it anti-fascism.

[Hawkeye-X]

4. Because DMA is giving away $$$

for FREE!

Anti-spammers (I am an ardent advocate of anti-spam, and have spoker to live spammers before) needs people to help support CAUCE (www.cauce.org) and also SpamCon (www.spamcon.com) - both anti-spammers, but they are sorely underfunded and need help to be able to hire lobbyists to introduce a _REAL_ anti-spam laws -- nothing that the DMA's dirty fingers can do...

Hawkeye-X

Edit: Psst, CAUCE issues a news release: http://www.cauce.org/news/index.shtml about the anti-spam bill and why it isn't good.

Hawkeye-X

[DivinBreuvage]

5. Penis, I hardly knew ye.

Goddurned Republicans. I don't really want or need bigger boobs, but even a quarter-inch enlargement of my penis would be a major accomplishment. And what about the tens of millions of $$$ I'm going to lose for my services to deposed African heads of state? What about my interest-free mortgage, the person who wants to go on a blind date with me, and free viagra for cheap?

Screw the miracle weight loss products, they've suckered me in one too many times already.

(I know, I know, no one on DU has ever done spam jokes before. Still, it doesn't change the fact that Republicans are a set of miserable bastards.)

Françoise

[moondust]

6. What about unsolicited junk TV advertising?

Ohhhhh, that's corporate. I get it.

And what about unsolicited popups (which happens to include all popups)?

Moreover, is any form of advertising solicited?