Demand for greater powers to tackle spam

Information commissioner Richard Thomas says he needs greater powers to stop spammers if the there is to be any chance of the problem subsiding.

Thomas says he needs fast-track prosecution powers to stop the rising tide of unsolicited email.

And speaking at an international convention to establish an action plan for tackling spam across country borders, hosted by the Office of Fair Trading and the US Federal Trade Commission in London this week, he warned regulators not to waste too much time establishing detailed strategies.

'There is much to be done in the fight against spam by cooperating with each other,' said Thomas.

'Spammers love it when regulators waste time sorting out who has responsibility for what. I need stronger powers to collect evidence, and something must be done by the end of the year,' said Thomas.

Thomas pointed out that he does not even have the power to enforce the 2003 Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations.

'I want similar powers to those of the OFT to fast track prosecutions where we have the evidence,? he said.

'The new ecommerce minister Mike O'Brien has made some encouraging noises in the last couple of weeks and I definitely feel as though I am pushing against an open door.'

The conference, which involved public and private sector bodies from 20 countries, heard how it is essential that greater global co-operation is established on security, law enforcement and consumer awareness around spam.

According to OFT figures, 80 per cent of UK spam originates outside of the country.

FTC chair Deborah Majoras said: 'We must combat spam with a three-fold strategy of enforcement, education and public/private partnerships.'