How To Can The Spam

ENFORCEMENT: I don't expect the Feds to find a way to track down international spam weasels when the best minds of the Internet can't do it. But there should be a means to at least make life more miserable for those who violate the law. Law professor Lawrence Lessig of Stanford has suggested an innovative approach: a bounty to those who track down violators.

Would such a law allow us to block out all unwanted spam? Of course not--some of these spamsters are the dregs of the world, and they'll use all the tricks of the digital age to do their dirty work. But remember that if they're selling stuff, somewhere there's a money trail to follow. In any case, it would be an important step to get these creeps officially defined as outlaws.

So let's make sure that this time around, Congress acts on its bills (the proposed bills from the previous session are good starting points but need tougher labeling provisions). The best way to start liberating ourselves from this paralyzing e-blizzard is to call, write or buttonhole our representatives and let them know how we feel. Oh, hell, go ahead and spam the lot of them. Maybe then they'll listen.

© 2003