Timms Downplays Spam Legislation

New rules to tackle ’spam’ e-mails and give phone, fax and internet users more say over how their personal details are used come into force today. The rules apply the EU Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communication.

But e-commerce minister Stephen Timms immediately played down expectations. The EU-backed law bans marketing companies from sending unwanted mail unless the recipient has ‘opted in’ to receive it, or they have a “prior business relationship” with the recipient.

Timms acknowledged the legislation was undermined because it could not deal with the vast amounts of spam coming from outside the EU. He said: “I think the legislation will deal quite effectively with intra-European mobile text messaging, but it will not immediately have an effect on the internet and we do need to address at an international level the question of spam.” Firms have 12 weeks to get used the new law before fines are introduced for anyone who is successfully prosecuted.