See here:
I wish they’d hurry up and ratify this already. Sadly, ordinary junk mail would probably be exempted as it’s not “electronic communication.”
'Luthon64
What sort of penalties do spammers face at the moment?
It varies from country to country and among different organisations. Generally, ISPs and webmail service providers have strict policies that don’t go beyond bannings (although many of them threaten legal action), but these are aimed at discouraging private users from spamming other clients.
Below are some examples of the kinds of penalty dished out to offenders:
- Japan: Up to two years in prison and/or up to $25,000 for private persons ($3,500,000 for companies)1
- Italy: Six months to three years in prison and/or €90,0001
- Belgium: Up to €250,0002
- USA: It’s state-dependent but variously, up to a $25,000 per day;3 – see §17538.45 (f)(1) up to $11,000 per recipient,4 $100,000 fine and up to 5 years,5 etc. One particular offender in the US got nine years, a sentence that was upheld by the appeals court probably because the case also involved some serious fraud
- UK: Up to £5,000 in a magistrates court, or an unlimited fine if it’s a jury trial6
Here are some interesting statistics about spamming.
Oh, and there’s an apparently widespread view that spammers should receive the death penalty…
'Luthon64