A Virginia commission on Internet use has endorsed proposed legislation that
would make spamming illegal and subject people who send unsolicited, bulk e-
mail messages to criminal prosecution.
The state Commission on Information Technology, which includes several leading
Internet company executives, endorsed a law setting out potential fines and
prison terms for convicted spammers.
“This would be the first one (state law) that is explicit in criminalizing
spamming” George Vradenburg, a senior vice president and general counsel with
based America Online, told Reuters.
In other states, including Washington and California, spammers can be sued for
damages in civil proceedings but cannot be prosecuted criminally, Vradenburg
said.
Although free-speech protections have been extended to the Internet, the
Virginia commission said spamming deluges online users with advertisements
promoting “dubious products, pyramid schemes and pornography.”
The commission, formed by Gov. James Gilmore in part to make recommendations
on boosting commercial use of the Internet, said spamming should be curtailed
because fraudulent e-mail threatens to undermine confidence in legitimate
electronic commerce.