What spam law? Next up ... spim.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: Up front: news, trends & analysis

Despite a federal law meant to curb the delivery of unsolicited commercial e-mails, users have seen little reprieve in the amount of unsolicited e-mails that fill their inboxes each day.

As any e-mail user can attest, the U.S. anti-spam legislation (CANSPAM) that took effect January 1, 2004, has had little effect on reducing the amount of junk e-mail (spare) that is being sent at an ever-growing rate. Seventy-two percent of the 1,400 Internet users surveyed by the Pew Internet and American Life Project between February 3 and March 1 said they have seen no decline in the amount of spare they receive at work since the law took effect; about 77 percent said they were getting the same or more spam at home. Slightly more than half said they have seen no change in the amount of spam they received at home or work. As a result, nearly 30 percent said they have reduced their use of e-mail.

According to filtering company Brightmail, 62 percent of all e-mail sent in February consisted of unsolicited bulk messages advertising get-rich-quick schemes, miracle diets, and ways to improve almost every body part. That is up from 58 percent in December.

The nation's largest Internet providers have filed federal lawsuits in an attempt to put the biggest "spammers" out of business. Six lawsuits filed by America Online, EarthLink, Yahoo, and Microsoft Corp. were filed in California, Georgia, Virginia, and Washington state and seek injunctions to shut down spammers and force them to pay damages that could amount to millions. "Spam ... is destroying one of the most important communications tools of our time," Les Seagraves, vice president of EarthLink, told the media. The lawsuits are among the first to be based partly on the new federal CAN-SPAM Act. Internet companies say the lawsuits are just one of many steps they are taking to combat spare. All of them are working on technology...