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| Industry Canada working to tackle Spam |
July 13, 2004 |
By Marisa Woo
The problem of spam is only getting worse. In 2000, unsolicited marketing e-mail accounted for about 10 per cent of total global e-mail traffic. As of last year, for the first time, more of this was sent than legitimate e-mail. Some monitoring indicates that for the first half of this year, more than 80 per cent of total global e-mail volume will be spam.
Given this, it’s not surprising that Canadians are annoyed and frustrated by this daily stream, with offers of miracle diet pills, toner cartridges, get-rich-quick schemes and other unwanted—and often offensive and fraudulent—products and services. Spam has also been used in phishing schemes, in which e-mail is dressed up to look like it’s from a bank or some other trusted sender. And, of course, unwanted e-mail often carries viruses. On top of this, network managers and Internet service providers must spend large sums on filtering and blocking processes, and these messages also erode confidence in e-mail as a reliable business communications tool and weaken overall consumer confidence in legitimate e-commerce. Fortunately, according to Shari Scott, a representative of Industry Canada’s Task Force on Spam, this problem is now receiving the attention it deserves from industry and governments in Canada. As this is a complex problem, fixing it needs a mix of technological, educational and legal approaches. The battle also has to be international in scope, since the issue is built on a global industry; only about one out of every 20 Spam e-mails received by Canadians originate in Canada.
For a number of years, the government has been active in several international groups that work on Internet issues. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is working to establish a Task Force on Spam, in which Canada will be an active participant.. Canada has also been involved in relevant work with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and by the business-led Global Business Dialogue on Electronic Commerce (GBDe).
Just as Canada’s domestic strategy involves a partnership with industry and stakeholders, international efforts must also involve a range of solutions and partners, and the development of globally compatible solutions.
For this reason, Scott said, the government supports the development and adoption of best practices for e-mail marketing and network management in an internationally coordinated manner. It also wants industry and consumers to consider initiatives such as globally compatible e-mail certification and validation regimes.
In May, the Canadian government announced an Action Plan. The plan includes initiatives by government, industry, marketers and consumers, focused on reducing Spam and on working with international partners. It will provide guidance and leadership in using laws and law enforcement to deal with this issue, encourage network managers to use technology and improved management practices to fight the problem, and help marketers establish practical codes of practise that make it clear this is not a legitimate marketing tool. Consumer education is also part of the initiative. Consumers who respond to Spam solicitations may not be numerous—some estimate that eight per cent of Canadian Internet users have done so—but that’s more than enough to make this practice hugely profitable. More Canadians have to understand what not to do: don’t open these messages, don’t reply to them and, most important, don’t buy what they sell. In addition, stepped-up enforcement of relevant Canadian law is a key element of the new Action Plan. The Task Force will encourage law enforcement agencies to mount anti-Spam prosecutions under already-existing laws. As well, it will examine whether any new laws need to be enacted. All in all, Canadians are saying they have had enough, and something needs to be done. The good news, Industry Canada says, is everyone agrees and something is being done in Canada and internationally.
It may take a while to stem the torrent of Spam e-mail, but there is now at least a reasonable prospect of improvement in the near future.
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