Anti-spam and e-spying report approved

A report calling for stronger anti-spam measures and stricter regulation of government access to personal data has been approved by the European Parliament Civil Liberties group.

The approval counters the European Council's efforts to give countries the power to force providers to keep records of all voice and data communications of citizens for up to seven years.

The report recommended that governments should not be allowed to conduct surveillance on a large scale unless they have legal permission for a criminal investigation or to protect public security.

Internet service providers should not be allowed to find or store personal information acquired when accessing terminal equipment unless they have prior consent from the user, and traffic data should be erased or made anonymous when the transmission is ended unless the information is used for providing enhanced services, the report said.

The committee asked that spammers be obliged to supply a 'right to reply' so that people can ask to be removed from their mailing list. MEPs have demanded that email direct marketing from anonymous senders should be outlawed.