Anti-Spam Law One Step Closer In California

by , 10:00 AM EST, March 28th, 2003

Some time soon, Californians may be able to take back some control of their e-mail inboxes, according to an article at ZDNet News. A bill has recently passed the California Senate that would allow Californians to sue spammers for US$500 per violation of the law, or triple that if the spammer is found to be in intentional violation of the law. From the short ZDNet News:

The bill, which cleared the Senate Business and Professions Committee on a bipartisan 5-1 vote, also requires courts to impose an additional US$250 civil penalty per spam to be used to fund high-tech crime task forces throughout the state. Under current law, only a city attorney, district attorney, the state Attorney General and ISPs can go after spammers in court.

You can find the article at ZDNet News.

The Mac Observer Spin:

Laws like this won't really do too much to stop spam, but if even one spammer is forced to pay through the nose, then it will be a good thing. At the same time, spammers could end up facing so many lawsuits, that legal fees alone could chase some out of business. That said, the likeliest result of a law such as this will be that spammers will simply set up operations where they can not be reached by Californians.

ZDNet News