• ClickZ, Wednesday, December 21, 2005 10:15 AM

In a report to Congress, the Federal Trade Commission called the CAN-SPAM Act a crucial weapon in the fight against spam, but said that going forward, technology will be more important. However, in two years there have been just 20 prosecutions, which essentially confirms marketers' belief that the law is more of a guide for legitimate businesses rather than a deterrent for spammers. The FTC acknowledged that the problem is far from solved, but said the law serves as a guide for ISPs and e-mail providers to help find spammers and bring them to justice. Technology is the crucial element that will facilitate that process, the government body said. The report also outlined several steps that will make CAN-SPAM more effective in the future, including a new law enforcement initiative currently being tested in Canada and the southern U.S. But the report failed to explain the quantitative impact of the two-year-old law.

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