Folks in Maine are still experiencing e-mail inboxes bulging with spam even though an anti-spam law went into effect in that state a month and a half ago, the Associated Press reported.
The law mandates that commercial e-mailers use the designation “ADV” in the subject line showing that the message is an advertisement, and “ADLT” if it is adult material. Messages must also include an e-mail address to unsubscribe.
But Maine’s attorney general’s office said that most commercial e-mail contains none of this, the AP article said.
Charles Dow, spokesman for the attorney general’s office said that compliance shouldn’t be expected overnight. A link to the Federal Trade Commission’s spam complaint area will help the state locate wrong-doers.
In California, which just passed an anti-spam law that requires consumers to opt in to receive commercial e-mail, a judge imposed a $2 million fine on a company accused of spamming.
After the U.S. Senate voted on Thursday for Can-Spam, a federal anti-spam act, commercial e-mailers nationwide are anxiously awaiting a vote on an anti-spam bill in the House.
A federal law would likely supercede all state laws, and e-mail marketers would not have to struggle to follow 30 different state measures.
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