Austria, Italy Outlaw Spam

The Austrian parliament has passed an amendment to the telecommunications law that makes it illegal to send bulk/broadcast or advertising e-mail without the recipient's prior consent, according to the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email (CAUCE).

The provision was endorsed by all major parties, and will take effect as soon as it's published in the official register.

Similar legislation in Italy entered into force 21 June. The use of fax, robot telephone systems and e-mail require prior consent of the recipient in Italy.

Legislation before the Bundestag in Germany confirms the principle of "opt-in" for advertising e-mail, CAUCE said.

Elsewhere in Europe, responses to spam have in general involved opt-out and message subject tagging, so the Austrian and Italian laws "are a welcome move toward a more effective policy," CAUCE said.