EU may tackle junk mail flow

BRUSSELS - Internet users worldwide are unwittingly paying 10 billion euros ($21 billion) a year for junk e-mail, says a study by the European Commission.

The study, which examined the "spam" phenomenon of unsolicited electronic mail in both the United States and the 15-nation European Union, is part of the commission's efforts to ensure that consumers feel their privacy is protected online.

With current technology, an internet marketing company could send half a billion personalised advertising e-mails through the web each day, the commission says. Users spend time and internet connection charges by opening the messages.

"Consumer information gleaned from individual web transactions/consultations can be sold for large sums of money, and yet many individual subscribers are unaware of the scale and implications of these developments," said Internal Market Commissioner Frits Bolkestein.

"We aim to encourage the continued development of internet services without weakening the individual's right to privacy."

The commission plans to use the results of the study to decide how to update data-protection and privacy regulations.

In those rules, consumer protection is handled differently in each countries.

Some require internet users to formally ask to receive e-mail marketing. Others ask people to tick a box if they do not want to receive unsolicited information.

Based on the results of the study, the commission may move to harmonise those options. Differences in how member states handle spam could pose barriers to the free movement of data within the EU.

Last July, the commission proposed updating the directive on data protection and privacy in the telecommunications sector by favouring the "opt-in" approach, under which people have to formally request e-mail advertising.



Links:

europa.eu.int

spam.abuse.net

www.cauce.org

www.spamfree.org