The examination, which will be conducted by the National Office for the Information Economy, follows reports of a huge jump in the amount of unsolicited bulk e-mail being sent to Internet users.
The Coalition Against Unsolicited Bulk E-mail estimates that Australian Internet users received six times more unsolicited e-mail in 2001 than in 2000.
Regulatory authorities including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission have also expressed concern at the number of financial and health e-mail scams being perpetuated by spam.
As part of existing counter measures the Australian Direct Marketing Association has introduced a Code of Practice intended to resolve the problem, and the Internet Industry Association (IIA) has agreed to codes of practice that prohibit member Internet Service Providers from sending direct marketing messages without the recipient's permission.
The IIA codes also require the service providers to advise consumers on how to minimise spam problems.
However, neither the codes nor the recently introduced extensions to the Privacy Act have any major impact on offshore operators.
Announcing the examination, Federal communication and information technology minister Richard Alston, said that while there were existing measures in place, there was a need for constant vigilance, with ongoing attention given to appropriate regulatory solutions, awareness raising and international cooperation measures.
He said the Government was concerned about e-mail messages that were clearly inappropriate or unwanted, in particular those containing illegal, offensive or deceptive content, or those that incorporated personal information collected or used in breach of the recent extensions of the Privacy Act to business.
It wanted to ensure that, with the continuing expansion of Internet usage in Australia, spamming did not get out of hand.
-Irrespective of its content, spam contributes to higher costs for Internet service providers and end users (including employers) and to slower Internet speeds. These considerations need to be viewed alongside the legitimate function for business to better inform consumers about products and services." Senator Alston said.
Senator Alston's comments on this issue are a cop-out. The European Union ourtlawed spam in December last year - yes, outlawed it - and there is no reason Australia can't do the same.
Our law enforcement agencies co-operate with international bodies to track down the perpetrators of online frauds now. And if we had a law making spam illegal in this country, they could reach out to nab spammers *wherever* they are.
Business has no "legitimate interest" in spamming. Spamming is illegitimate by definition.
And Minister Alston is failing all of us by being as weak on this issue as he seems to be.
Spam? Want less? Make it a crime. Now!