• Is spam legal?
• What is bill 1618? Does it legalize spam?
• The e-mail says it's not spam, but it sure looks like it. What should I do?
• What government agencies can I report spam to?
• How can I help promote anti-spam legislation?
• What's this CAN-SPAM Act all about?

There are varying laws in different states and countries. Check Spamlaws.com for information about your area.

New anti-spam legislation is currently in the works in the U.S.

Aside from the legality of it, it is against the Terms of Service of almost every ISP to use their servers or bandwidth to spam. This means that when you complain to a spammer's ISP, they may lose their Internet access (a good thing!).

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by Sarah
last modified: 2002-05-20 23:20:01

This bill was never passed. Spammers often lie about this in their e-mails, saying that by doing something-or-other to comply with regulations, this e-mail you are reading is not spam. Well, they're wrong and it is still spam.

Bill 1618 is a popular thing for spammers to mention when they are trying to discourage you from reporting them to their ISP or web host. Don't let it stop you.

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by Sarah

Spammers love to do this. They will quote Bill 1618, or say that you signed up to be on the list; or you signed up with their business partners; or even that you posted your e-mail in a public place. If this is not something you specifically signed up for, IT IS SPAM!

None of those excuses legalize what they are doing. You should report them just like any other spam, only more so because they are trying to trick you.

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by Sarah
last modified: 2002-05-20 02:46:49

1. The Federal Trade Commission wants you to forward a copy of EVERY spam you receive to uce@ftc.gov.

2. If the spam you receive asks for money through the U.S. Mail, the United States Postal Inspection Service, forward a copy at fraud@usps.gov.

3. To report e-mails promoting medical products such as human drugs, animal drugs, medical devices, biological products, foods, dietary supplements or cosmetics, that you think might be illegal, forward the email to the Food and Drug Administration at webcomplaints@ora.fda.gov.

4. Suspected fraudulent nonprescription drug spam can be forwarded to the Food and Drug Administration at otcfraud@cder.fda.gov.

5. If spam you receive touts a stock opportunity forward it to enforcement@sec.gov.

6. Nigerian "419" scams can be forwarded to 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov.

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by newview edited by Sarah
last modified: 2004-07-02 16:38:46

Just as you would promote any other legislation. Fax, write, or call your elected representative and express your wishes. Tell your friends to do the same. You can find all the contact information you need on the web.

And don't forget who is working for your interests and who isn't when it's time to vote!

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by Sarah

Gigalaw.com, a website devoted to Legal Information for Internet Professionals, has created another website specifically addressing the CAN-SPAM Act:
The CAN-SPAM Library

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by newview edited by Sarah
last modified: 2004-05-23 10:25:52