Another One Bytes The Dust?

A California company accused of sending spam email to thousands of users might get closed down in the near future. In specific, they have apparently violated certain aspects of the CAN-SPAM act. The act makes it illegal to send commercial messages unless they comply with stated guidelines.

A Judge is being asked to issue a temporary restraining order against the organization. If granted, it would force them to temporarily shutdown their operations. It would also require them to give up any records related to their email practices.

The business operated under the names Optin Global and Vision Media Limited. The FTC claims that their email messages included false information, making them illegal. They are seeking damages totaling $3500 per illegal message sent with a maximum of one million dollars per spamming run. In recent months the FTC and private companies have increased legal action such as this in the effort to stop unwanted email.

Most anti-spam advocates agree that the CAN-SPAM act has not seriously deterred spammers from sending messages. The law is not really even intended to be an antispam solution, as it doesn't really ban spammers from sending unsolicited emails. Still, most senders of unwanted messages do not comply with the act.

Anti-spam filter technology has become more adept at targeting and removing spam from email systems. However, email senders have also been innovating. Use of zombie computers and random text generators have been increasingly effective at foiling advanced filters.

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