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              | Date: 1999-08-07 
 
 Jetzt europaweit gegen UCE [Spam]-.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.- -.-. --.-
 
 q/depesche  99.8.7/1
 
 Jetzt europaweit gegen UCE [Spam]
 
 Nach dem überraschenden Erfolg der konzertierten Aktion
 österreichischer Usergruppen und Konsumentenschützer  im
 Parlament gegen Unsolicited Commercial Email [UCE], auch
 Spam genannt, folgt nun der nächste Schritt.
 
 Die Konsumentenschützer der Arbeiterkammer in AT
 versuchen, ihre Kolleg/inn/en in den übrigen Staaten der
 Union, wo Spam gesetzlich noch nicht geächtet ist, zu
 mobilisieren.
 
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 Re Ban on unsolicited commercial e-mail and spamming
 
 
 Dear Colleagues,
 
 In its implementation of the distance selling directive, the
 Austrian parliament has passed a law prohibiting unsolicited
 commercial e-mail and spamming. This ban requested by
 Austrian consumer organizations, Internet user groups and
 the Austrian ISP (Internet Service Providers) was ultimately
 passed by all political parties. Commercial e-mail may now
 be sent only with the recipient's express consent (revocable
 at any time).
 
 The Austrian regulation was required for the following
 reasons: - The mass sending of unsolicited commercial e-
 mail (also known as "spamming") is one of the greatest
 irritants on the Internet and tarnishes the reputation of
 electronic commerce as a whole. - Unsolicited commercial e-
 mail clogs users' electronic mailboxes, increases loading
 times, and incurs costs for users. - There are no effective
 technical means by which to intercept and filter out
 undesirable commercial e-mail. The "opt out" approach
 always suggested is not only technically complicated and
 difficult to administer, it poses certain data protection
 problems as well. - Since the sending of unsolicited e-mail
 badly damages a firm's image, reputable companies
 abandoned this practice long ago. Many marketing experts
 also warn against using this form of advertising. - Spam
 typically contains pyramid games, pornography and sham
 offers designed to entice customers. - According to
 traditional Internet etiquette ("Netiquette") in place for many
 years now, nonconsensual advertising by e-mail is not
 permitted.
 
 After Austria's and Italy's ban of unsolicited commercial e-
 mail, Germany has now also followed suit. It appears only
 sensible and indeed necessary to take the next step and
 implement this ban and, with it, the traditional "opt-in"
 approach at the European level.
 
 The Austrian Federal Chamber of Labor urges you to support
 this initiative and to promote it with appropriate lobbying and
 other suitable activities aimed at the national ruling
 governments (in light of their votes in the European Council),
 the European Commission and the members of the European
 Parliament. Given the current European rules, the European
 Council is the only body able to set new legal and political
 accents in the next phase of these efforts. The Internet user
 groups in Central Europe also plan to launch activities at the
 European level. It should be noted that many smaller
 businesses and free lancers are also very hard hit by the
 problem of spamming.
 
 --------------
 
 
 ----------------------------------------------------------------- (Univ Doz Dr)
 Karl Kollmann, Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour -
 Consumer Policy Department, A-1040 Wien, Prinz Eugen Str
 20-22, Tel. +43-1-50165-2307 Fax: +43-1-50165-2693 Mobile:
 +436644537734 email at Vienna University of Economics:
 kollmann@wu-wien.ac.at (small) email to SMS messages:
 karl.kollmann@a1plus.at ----------------------------------------------------
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 edited by Harkank
 published on: 1999-08-07
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