Can you hear me now? GET LOST!
FCC Blocks Spam on Wireless Devices (Jonathan Krim, Washington Post, via SecurityFocus)
The Federal Communications Commission yesterday moved to prevent cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) from becoming the next major frontier
for e-mail spam.
The agency issued rules requiring marketers to have explicit permission from wireless-device users before they can be sent any commercial e-mail. And it
urged the industry to develop technologies to prevent spam from overwhelming wireless devices the way it has swamped computer messaging.
"By prohibiting all commercial messages to wireless phones and PDAs absent affirmative consent from the consumer, Americans can now use their wireless
devices freely, without being bothered by unwanted and annoying messages," FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell said in a prepared statement....
FCC Bans Mobile Spam (DM News)
...Wireless providers must submit a list of Internet domains associated with wireless devices to the FCC for publication to assist with compliance. The action implemented a portion of the CAN-SPAM Act, the FCC said.
The FCC had stated previously that some text messages sent by autodialers to wireless phone numbers are already covered by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which forbids commercial messages - voice or text -- sent by automated dialers to wireless devices. The FCC feared that messages sent digitally to e-mail domains were not covered.
Wireless messages sent by e-mail are covered under the CAN-SPAM Act, the FCC said. However, messages can be sent when the sender has received express prior authorization orally, on paper or electronically.
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