Spam hearing: E-mail tax, international treaty proposed

Schumer threw out the idea of an international spam treaty. Schumer, who's also proposed a national do-not-spam registry and criminal penalties for fraudulent spam, said without an international treaty, a U.S. law would cause the "most prolific spammers to flee to other countries."

Schumer said he supports a national law but that that's not enough. "The bottom line is that the second we tighten up enforcement here at home, rogue actors go overseas to continue their activities," he said. "If we're just focused on curbing spam here at home, we'll be unsuccessful."

Asked if a national do-not-spam list, administered by the FTC, would work, Swindle said it would not. "You're talking about an incredibly large database that would be difficult to secure," he said. "If I'm a spammer, I think that (list) is a target-rich environment."

Also on Wednesday, Microsoft Corp. and Symantec Corp. advanced their own ideas for combating spam, which were entered into the committee's official record. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates called for global independent trust authorities that could certify legitimate e-mail solicitations, while Symantec called for increased enforcement of existing fraud laws and beefing up the prosecutorial staff at the FTC. 

Despite the wide range of proposals, witnesses at Wednesday's hearing, from Scelson and the Network Advertising Initiative to America Online Inc. and the Electronic Privacy Information Center, all agreed that something needs to be done to combat spam.

"We needed legislation last year, we needed it yesterday, we need it as soon as possible," said J. Trevor Hughes, executive director of the Network Advertising Initiative, a cooperative of Internet advertisers. "Once we have that, we need strong enforcement."