When legislators turn their attention to technology, I usually find myself wondering with some trepidation whether they approach all other topics with a similar level of ignorance.
The office of Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) recently released a survey conducted by UnSpam and InsightExpress stating that three-quarters of Americans support a "Do Not Spam" list. Schumer is trying to drum up support for do-not-spam legislation that would mimic the Do Not Call list for telemarketers. I'm sure the survey is correct. Of course Americans want a cure for spam. But do they truly understand the ramifications involved?
I feel certain I'm preaching to the choir when I say the Do Not Spam list idea will not work! It won't even put a small dent in the rising spam problem. In fact, thousands of people presumably placing their e-mail addresses on any sort of list sounds like a better way to elicit spam than prevent it.
>From what little we know about it, a Do Not Spam bill also isn't likely to be a major help to litigators hoping to scare spammers out of business by making a few pay large settlements in very public lawsuits.
What's more, this kind of uninformed legislation is potentially dangerous to legitimate e-mailers. These days, most corporations in the U.S. and many around the world send legitimate e-mail that could well be affected by a half-baked law that doesn't understand all the dynamics of unwanted, unsolicited e-mail.
The computer industry has finally cranked up the heat on anti-spam technology development. But I have an even larger role in mind for the captains of the computer industry, security experts, academicians, and pundits. Their input should be shaping the social and legislative decisions we make. In other words, the experts who truly understand the problem should play a fundamental role in lobbying for the right laws and communicating with businesses and the public about best practices.
The computer industry must reach out and stop politicians like Schumer before they, perhaps unwittingly, do more harm than good. It's no longer enough just to build products that solve problems. Now that computers and IT are a mainstream part of thousands of everyday corporate and private endeavors, the computer industry has a responsibility to address the side-effects of the changes it has brought to pass.
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