Britain Thursday became the second country in Europe to criminalize spam, the unwanted barrage of e-mail and mobile phone text messages promising riches, cheap home loans and a better sex life. The unsolicited messages, which industry groups say account for more than half of all e-mails sent, have become a time- and resource-wasting scourge of Internet users everywhere.
Under the new British law, spammers face an $8,057 fine if convicted in a magistrates court. The fine from a jury trial would be unlimited. Spammers would not face prison, according to the new law, introduced by Communications Minister Stephen Timms Thursday.
Spam is defined under the law as any messages sent to consumers without having first established a consensual customer relationship. "These regulations will help combat the global nuisance of unsolicited e-mails and texts by enshrining in law rights that give consumers more say over who can use their personal details," Timms said in a statement.
The link for this article located at Wired is no longer available.
