More Volleys In The War On SpamMore Volleys In The War On Spam

Spam is a growing problem for consumers and businesses. Mindful of this, the Federal Trade Commission is preparing to launch "a systematic attack on fraudulent and deceptive spam," says J. Howard Beales, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. Beales indicated at a privacy and security conference in Washington last week that the bureau is examining cases for possible legal action.

Nonprofit privacy group Trust-e last week introduced its Trusted Sender program to help users keep spam out of their mailboxes. Under the program, participating companies place a privacy seal of approval on E-mail messages they send. To qualify for the seal, companies must meet Trust-e's E-mail best practices, such as accurate use of subject lines and allowing users to opt out of future mailings, says Fran Maier, the group's executive director. Bigfoot Interactive, DoubleClick, and Microsoft are among the companies that have agreed to support the program.

Also, the Direct Marketing Association recently approved privacy guidelines for member companies, requiring them to let consumers opt out of marketing E-mails and choose whether they want their personal information shared.

Christine Frye, chief privacy officer at Experian, welcomes these efforts. The Costa Mesa, Calif., company, which runs E-mail marketing campaigns for clients, follows best practices such as disclosing the sources of its mailing lists and providing consumers with opt-out options. Frye says disreputable spammers hurt the reputations of all E-marketers. "Any program that contributes to consumer trust and confidence is positive," she adds.

Companies that participate in the Trust-e program will install a piece of hardware inside their firewalls that signs each outgoing piece of E-mail with a unique digital field, says Vince Schiavone, CEO of ePrivacy Group, which is providing the technology for the program. Users will see a seal in the top right corner of the message or a link in the top line of the text. When a mail recipient clicks it, a secure transaction takes place, verifying the message's legitimacy, he says. "It's like a cryptographic envelope."