Sunday, 23 November 2003
THE NEW YORK TIMES WASHINGTON - The House overwhelmingly passed legislation
early Saturday intended to reduce the glut of junk e-mail messages, and the
Senate is expected to quickly follow suit this week.
The anti-spam measure was approved 392-5. The bill would make mass e-mailers
liable for civil fines of up to $250 per electronic message if they tried to
hide their identities. It also allows the Federal Trade Commission to begin
fashioning a plan to create a "do not e-mail" registry similar to
the list intended to let consumers block unwanted telephone solicitations.
"For the first time during the Internet era, American consumers will have
the ability to say no to spam," said Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., chairman
of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. "What's more, parents will
be able to breathe easier knowing that they have the ability to prevent pornographic
spam from reaching defenseless, unsuspecting children."
Members of Congress say the explosion in unwanted e-mail messages is a top
consumer complaint from their constituents, and they have moved quickly to try
to do something about it.
The House version adopted Saturday was changed slightly from a measure raced
through the Senate last month, but top Senate aides said Saturday that the revisions
did not seem likely to slow down the bill.
A vote as early as Monday was predicted.