Governments need to pass more antispam laws, give law
enforcement agencies more resources and work better across borders
to combat unsolicited e-mail clogging up inboxes, an international
economic group said Wednesday.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), an international forum of 30 countries established to
promote economic growth and trade, also called on private industry
to cooperate with government spam-fighting efforts and to help
governments establish nationwide spam education campaigns. In
addition, countries need to pass laws that provide "clear
directions" on rules regarding bulk e-mail, the group said.
"Spam is dangerous and costly for business and consumers," the
OECD said in a statement. "It disrupts networks, cuts productivity,
spreads viruses and is increasingly used by criminals who steal
passwords to access confidential information and often bank
accounts."
The OECD's report calls on countries to more readily share
information during spam investigations and to routinely provide
investigative assistance. Countries should also establish a single
point of contact where other governments can direct their
spam-fighting requests, the OECD said.
The group also recommends that governments provide training
about spam and Internet security during computer courses in
schools. Senior citizens should also have spam awareness training
available to them, the group said.
Private companies providing Internet access to employees or
customers have several obligations, the group said. Companies
should establish clear e-mail use guidelines, and they should
monitor the Internet for Web sites that copy their site in an
attempt to steal customer data in phishing attacks, the OECD said.
Companies need to educate their customers about the potential for
faked e-mail messages used in phishing attacks, the group said.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) praised the OECD report,
saying better international cooperation is needed to fight spam.
The U.S. is among 30 OECD member nations.
The FTC has implemented many of the OECD recommendations, the
agency said in a statement. The FTC has taken action against
international spammers; partnered with the private sector on
consumer education; and encouraged the private sector to implement
domain-level authentication systems, the agency said.
OECD's antispam toolkit, including the new recommendations, is
available at http://www.oecd-antispam.org/.
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