Newsletter ArchiveSUBJECT:National Spam Laws - Hard To Believe The Internet 800 Directory - http://www.inter800.com The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter This issue is for Friday, May 30, 2003 Table of Contents 01. National Spam Laws 02. Hard To Believe 03. Tip Of The Week *01 National Spam Laws My situation concerning spam is not good. Not counting my personal account; I administer three very active e-mail accounts. It’s normal for me to receive over 2500 e-mails per day with most of them spam (well over 90%). This ever-increasing flood of junk mail makes it very plain to me that something needs to be done. However you might be surprised to learn, that in my opinion, antispam laws will never work. The resourcefulness and adaptability of spammers will always surpass the imaginations of the slow-moving lawmakers. Because of public uproar the legislators will make the attempt, and I think their antispam laws will have unintended destructive consequences on the Internet. As of today, no legislation controlling Spam has been enacted at the national level. Several spam-related bills were introduced in previous sessions of Congress, but none were enacted. Here is a list of some current pending legislation. (To read the bills visit (http://thomas.loc.gov/), enter the bill number and hit “search”) Ban on Deceptive Unsolicited Bulk Electronic Mail Act of 2003 (S. 1052) This bill would prohibit unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail from using false information in message headers. It would require senders to include opt-out instructions and honor opt-out requests. It also would prohibit harvesting e-mail addresses of potential recipients from web pages and other sources. Violations of the law could be prosecuted under RICO. Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 (S. 877) This bill would prohibit unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail from using false information in message headers. It would require senders to label their mail (not necessarily by a standard method), include opt-out instructions and honor opt-out requests. The law would prohibit the use of deceptive subject lines and false headers in messages. It would pre-empt any state laws that prohibit unsolicited commercial e-mail outright, but would not affect the majority of state spam laws. Computer Owners' Bill of Rights (S. 563) This bill would require the Federal Trade Commission to establish a "do-not-email" registry of addresses of persons and entities that do not wish to receive unsolicited commercial e-mail messages. The FTC would be empowered to impose civil penalties (not to exceed $10,000 for each violation) upon those who send unsolicited commercial e-mail to addresses listed on the registry. REDUCE Spam Act of 2003 (H.R. 1933) This bill would require unsolicited bulk commercial e-mail messages to include a valid reply address and opt-out instructions, and a label (like ADV, ADV, ADLT). These requirements would apply to messages sent in the same or similar form to 1,000 or more e-mail addresses within a two-day period. False or misleading headers and deceptive subject lines would be prohibited in all unsolicited commercial e-mail messages, whether or not sent in bulk. Reduction in Distribution of Spam Act of 2003 (H.R. 2214) The bill would require all commercial e-mail messages to be identified, with a standard label for sexually explicit messages. It also requires they include the sender's physical address and an opt-out mechanism. It would prohibit the use of false or misleading headers in commercial messages. State laws that prohibit unsolicited commercial e-mail, regulate opt-out procedures, or require subject-line labels would be pre-empted; laws that merely regulate falsification of message headers would remain in effect. Wireless Telephone Spam Protection Act (H.R. 122) This bill would prohibit the use of wireless messaging systems to send unsolicited advertisements. Please let your voice be heard on this subject. House Directory http://clerk.house.gov/members/index.php Senate Directory http://www.senate.gov/ If you have any thoughts or ideas you would like to share, please send them to Chuck Arning at chuck@inter800.com We’re Talkin’ Serious” Bone Suckin’ Sauce ! Winner: “Battle Of The Sauces.” Created in true western North Carolina style. Tomato based all-natural, sweetened with honey and molasses Half Gallon Size for 18.99+s/h. Toll-Free 1-800-446-0947 or online http://www.BoneSuckin.com *02 Hard To Believe I Find This Very Hard To Believe In today's issue of the Internet Advertising report, and I quote: "The Web's most vilified ad format is 13 times more effective at generating clicks and conversions than a standard banner, according to Advertising.com." I don't know anyone who likes pop-ups or pop-unders or in-betweens or behind the back surprises. We, like IVillage in the article, have banned pop-ups from our site. The full article can be read at http://www.internetnews.com/IAR/article.php/2213101 On the other hand, in today's related news it was reported that advertising agencies are finally waking up to the realization that paid search engine placements are a legitimate and effective form of marketing. Gee, who'd a thunk it? Also, in a long and ongoing series of articles that I have been reading on the ISales digest about ROI on one's internet advertising, many of the distinguished contributors go into great depth about tracking, spending money on search engine optimization, PPC, paid links from industry portals/related sites, email campaigns, affiliate programs and other opportunities, etc., but not one of them mentioned the telephone. As much as we harp about this, it seems that many IT managers and internet-savvy people just don't get the fact that the majority of e-business is concluded or augmented by the telephone, generally via a toll free call. Don't get me wrong - we are a big believer in placement and effective tracking in the aforementioned arenas as well. Steven Jackson - sjackson@inter800.com Once every second someone searches the Internet 800 Directory looking for someone to supply them with goods or services. Will they find you or your competition? Call 800-299-1879! Tip of the Week Using the keyboard to move the mouse. We all fear the day that our mouse stops working. Here is a way to use the keyboard to control your mouse. 1- Click on “My Computer” 2-Click on “Control Panel” 3-Click on “Accessibility Options” 4-Click on the “Mouse” tab 5-Click in box “Use Mouse Keys” 6-Click “OK” Now you can move the mouse pointer by pressing numbers on the numeric keypad. The number 5 is used to left-click while the INS key is used to hold down for dragging. The DEL key releases that button. If you have any tips or shortcuts that you think the readers of this Newsletter will find useful, send them to sjackson@inter800.com Banners? Pay-per-click? Why not target your market with links or information placed in relevant content? The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter offers direct access to business people who are interested buyers. Advertising: Information on how to sponsor this publication: Call 800-299-1879 Thanks for taking the time to review our newsletter for this week. If you know of anyone that might benefit from receiving this newsletter, send them to (http://www.inter800.com/news800/ ) where they can subscribe. All Contents Copyright ©1995-2003 The Internet 800 Directory Subscribe To The Newsletter: |