Loopholes In UK's Anti-Spam Laws Slammed

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

22 April 2005

Speaking to the BBC this week, head of Spamhaus, Steve Linford argued that loopholes in the UK's anti-spam laws mean that they are virtually useless in preventing the sending of unsolicited commercial e-mails.

He explained that:

"British law allows spammers to spam business addresses and it is up to spammers to determine whether an address is a private one or a business one. Apparently the Department of Trade and Industry was told that British businesses wanted spam, although we have never heard of any."

He also condemned the £5,000 maximum fine that can be imposed on spammers by the Information Commissioner as inadequate, observing that:

"Some spammers make that amount in a day."

Arguing that US anti-spam protections are as ineffective as those in the UK, Mr Linford held up the Australian regime as a model, revealing that the threat of substantial fines has virtually eradicated junk e-mails in the country.

However, he concluded the interview with BBC Online by observing that:

"Until America makes changes, everyone will still be plastered in spam."

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