Law catches up with technology: putting a lid on spam.

Salesmen have one mission: Sell, sell, sell. And you can bet they're going to find a way into any communication device.

America Online (AOL) estimates that 10 million unsolicited commercial e-mail messages (spam) are sent over its networks every day. And Internet users aren't the only ones protesting this onslaught of spam - Internet service providers like AOL can incur significant costs when their networks are bogged down by the bulk ads.

Now, a new California law gives providers the power to sue bulk e-mailers who send unauthorized messages across their networks. The new law also makes it a crime to use fraudulent return addresses in bulk e-mail ads. Spammers often use the names of other companies and misleading subject lines to legitimize and disguise their mail.

"It is time for the law to catch up with technology, especially in the case of spare where families and businesses are forced to receive large amounts of objectionable material over the Internet. This is an issue of consumer protection, privacy and private property," says Assemblyman Gary Miller, the law's sponsor.

A related law passed last session makes it easier for Internet users to control the e-mail they receive. Advertisers who send unsolicited commercial e-mail must identify it by including the label "ADV:" in the subject line of the message. Advertisements for sexually explicit materials or other information inappropriate for minors must be labeled "ADV:ADLT." The law also requires spammers to include a...