On Mon, 26 May 2003 12:18:59 -0700 (PDT) Bob Braden <braden@ISI.EDU> wrote:
> So, what happens when the FTC, which is today very business-friendly,
> decides to place no restriction at all on "real Commercial" spam?
> Given the current politics in Washington, that seems like a likely
> scenario.
i disagree.
from what i have heard from participants in the FTC "spam summit" (and
what i viewed in some of the recordings of sessions which were available
online briefly), it seems clear that the FTC has done the math and
understands the nature of the problem fairly well.
however, they are tightly constrained by their mandate from Congress. this
is where the real problem lies.
there are at least some legislators who are willing to write legislation
that refers to standards from recognized standards bodies (e.g., the IETF).
this is where the opportunity for the IETF to help lies -- to devise new
standards and protocols which won't necessarily stop spam, but which when
combined with legislation and properly funded enforcement bodies, can stop
or at least cut it down.
the international nature of the problem is undersood by at least some
legislators as well. Senator Schumer (NY) is already on record as believing
that there will need to be international treaties as part of the solution
to the spam problem.
one of the things that has contributed to the evident lack of progress is
the argument about technical means vs legislative/enforcement means.
neither is really sufficient, it will take a combination of the two.
richard
--
Richard Welty rwelty@averillpark.net
Averill Park Networking 518-573-7592
Unix, Linux, IP Network Engineering, Security