Ministers demand spam clampdown
7 October 2003
Calls have been made for anti-spam legislation to be extended and greater enforcement powers to be given to regulators, in a new parliamentary report.
A group of ministers have recommended that unsolicited emails sent to business as well as private addresses should be banned. They also identified a need for a coordinated, global anti-spam code.
'If all the report's recommendations were implemented then our constituents could expect to see a significant reduction in the amount of spam they receive,' Richard Allan, vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Internet Group, told the BBC.
Spam accounts for an estimated half of all emails sent to UK homes and businesses. The government has taken steps towards tackling this problem with the introduction of a £5,000 fine for sending marketing emails without recipient permission.
However, this measure, effective from December, has been criticised for only applying to UK companies and not posing enough of a deterrent to online marketers.
'It is essential that co-ordinated global action be taken against spam,' commented Derek Wyatt, chairman of the parliamentary group.
The group has announced plans to take its recommendations to the UK and US governments.
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