'Do Not Spam' to fall on deaf ears

Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON: A government-run "Do Not Spam" registry would not work because it would only generate more unwanted e-mail from unscrupulous marketers, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said.

The FTC declined to endorse a no-spam registry patterned after its tremendously popular Do Not Call list that allows consumers to prevent most telemarketing calls.

While telemarketers have largely complied with the no-call list, spammers that already violate deceptive-business laws would be likely to regard a list of off-limits addresses as a valuable tipsheet for sales leads, FTC Chairman Timothy Muris said.

"A national registry was a great solution to unwanted telemarketing calls. At this time it's not the solution to unwanted e-mail," Muris said.

Congress directed the FTC to look into a do-not-spam registry when it passed a national anti-spam law last December.

The measure's chief legislative champion suggested in a statement he may try to force the FTC to set up a do-not-spam list anyway.

"The registry is not the perfect solution but it is the best solution we have to the growing problem of spam, and we will pursue congressional alternatives in light of the FTC's adamancy," New York Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer said.

Even if the FTC wanted to set up a no-spam registry, it would take years to develop, Muris said.

"Consumers will be spammed if we do a registry and spammed if we do not," Muris said.

Unsolicited bulk messages now account for roughly 83 percent of all e-mail traffic, according to filtering company Postini Inc.

Spammers commonly route their messages through others' computers or hijack addresses to cover their tracks, a process known as "spoofing."

Enforcement of any no-spam registry would be impossible without a way to verify that e-mail has not been spoofed, Muris said.

Large Internet providers like Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have developed methods to authenticate e-mail and have submitted them to the standards-setting Internet Engineering Task Force for approval.

Muris said the FTC would convene an industry summit in the fall to examine authentication techniques. If they are not widely adopted by the private sector, the government might be forced to set standards of its own, he said.

Consumer and business groups and Internet companies like Yahoo praised the FTC's stance, in particular its decision to push authentication standards.

©Reuters