Authorities clamp down on child spam

UK organisations must pay heed to anti-spamming laws in light of recent criminal charges in the US, warns security specialist Sophos.

RR Media Inc. of Cathedral City, California and Data Stream Group Inc. of Bonita Springs, Florida, stand accused of sending emails intended to entice children to visit gambling websites and promoted alcoholic beverages.

According to Michigan's Attorney General, some of the kids' email addresses were registered under the state's Child Protection Registry Act, meaning that companies must remove them before sending messages advertising certain items.

The registry is a secure database where parents can register the electronic contact points that their children may access. It contains protected e-mail addresses and other contact mechanisms such as mobile phone numbers and instant messenger IDs.

Allegedly, the companies in question did not check the email addresses against the registry and delete them from their lists. Now, as a result of the violation, they could be fined up to $10,000 in addition to facing other penalties.

"Children may well be more susceptible to spam campaigns than adults, so it is worrying that some of them are having to deal with alcohol, tobacco and gambling ads as part of their email experience," said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant for Sophos.

"Michigan is leading the way by taking action against this sort of activity, but the buck shouldn't stop there - people and companies sending unsolicited messages need to think hard about who is receiving their messages and whether the content is appropriate."

A survey last month revealed that European is responsible for generating more spam than any other continent. And just last week, Nigerian authorities closed in on a man suspected of being the ringleader in a $2 million spam scam.

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