Congress on Monday approved the first national bill outlawing the most annoying forms of junk e-mail for cheap loans, prescription drugs and other pitches.
But critics of the bill, which President Bush is expected to sign into law this month, say it lacks the punch of stronger state legislation that it would replace. It also could endanger consumers because it authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to establish a "do-not-spam" registry, they say.
That registry, containing millions of consumer e-mail addresses, will become "an irresistible target" for spammers and hackers to crack, says Edward Naughton, a high-tech attorney.
The bill, given approval by the House Monday and the Senate last month, is considered the stiffest of a handful of federal anti-spam measures. Under the bill, e-mailers of billions of pornography and get-rich-quick schemes would face jail time and multimillion-dollar fines. Consumers could opt out of receiving spam.
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