Federal Trade Commission officials Wednesday asked the House Energy and Commerce Committee for expanded powers to fight unsolicited commercial e-mail, or spam.
According to news reports, FTC commissioners said they need the ability to secretly investigate those who send deceptive e-mail and more leeway to go after spammers who send their messages across international borders.
They argued that e-mail marketers should be mandated to describe their products truthfully and honor consumer requests to be purged from their contact lists. They also stressed that criminal penalties should be explored for those who falsify their return addresses.
The proposals “would provide more effective investigative and enforcement tools and would enhance the FTC’s continuing law enforcement efforts,” said the FTC in a statement.
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