The International Spam Battle

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is getting behind new Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recommendations for international anti-spam efforts. It goes without saying that spam is a problem that has no borders, affecting consumers and marketers regardless of their physical locations. Here are a few of the recommended steps for governments outlined in a new “toolkit,” as summarized by the FTC:

• Government enforcement agencies should have the necessary authority to take action against spammers located in their territory or against foreign spammers who target consumers in their territory.
  
• Government enforcement agencies should have the ability to share information with foreign law enforcement officials in appropriate cases.
  
• Government enforcement agencies should have the ability to provide investigative assistance to foreign authorities in appropriate cases, particularly in obtaining information or locating or identifying people.
  
• Government enforcement agencies should partner with industry and consumer groups to educate users and promote information sharing.
  
• Government enforcement agencies should cooperate with the private sector to facilitate the location and identification of spammers.
  
• Countries should cooperate in international enforcement efforts; efforts to reduce the incidence of inaccurate information about holders of domain names; and efforts to make the Internet more secure.

The toolkit Web site is really a fantastic resource — sort of a jump-start for governments that haven’t really thought about, or implemented, anti-spam regulations or enforcement efforts. International spam enforcement is a huge, complex endeavor, but efforts like these can certainly help governments make strides forward.