An End to Spam

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 10th Dec 2003

New regulations implementing EU law come into force tomorrow, 11th December, making it illegal to send marketing email messages (spam) unless the recipient has given prior consent. Sending such messages is now punishable with a fine of £5,000.

Welcoming the new European laws, London's LibDem Euro-MP and European civil liberties spokeswoman Baroness Sarah Ludford said:

"These regulations enforcing the protection of privacy show how the EU can directly benefit individuals. Spam cost European companies £1.5 billion last year in lost productivity, and it is the constant bug bear of home internet users who rightly object to paying to download such junk mail.

"They will not however make spam disappear overnight. This is only one stage in a long battle against spam, in which technology has a leading role to play in combating abuse of personal information.

"What's clear is that consumers have no taste for spam. Lawmakers and IT professionals must work hard to take it off the menu; the EU is showing the lead."

The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 implement EU Directive 2002/58/EC and represent a shift from opt-out marketing (where unsolicited emails may be sent to anyone provided there is a facility for recipients to opt-out of future communications) to an opt-in system, requiring prior consent or a pre-existing relationship. The regulations also apply to unsolicited telephone calls and fax transmissions.