NO to "do not spam"

This is probably a good thing. According to this NYTimes piece (Federal Agency Declines to Create Do-Not-Spam Registry) the FTC is not going to pursue a version of "do not call" for spam. A snip:

In the law intended to crack down on junk e-mail, or spam, that passed last December, Congress ordered the commission to report on the feasibility of allowing e-mail users to place their e-mail addresses on a registry for those who do not want unsolicited messages.

In its report, the commission said a do-not-e-mail list would not be effective in cracking down on spam.

Rather, the report suggested that the most promising way to reduce spam was to create new technology that can verify that an e-mail message was sent from the address that it claims to be from.

Further on, the FTC says that it will defer to the private sector to address and deal with the issue, including the determination of what constitutes adequate authentication of senders.

Frankly, I'm not yet convinced that the present approach of validating senders is (a) ready for prime time or (b) the ultimate solution. It's a good start though, underlining the need for digital identity.

Posted by Grayson at June 16, 2004 09:48 AM