Spam and Unfair or Deceptive Practices Online

Scope

 * Use this page to list sources related to CAN-SPAM or state-based regulation of spam, and sources related to the Federal Trade Commission's regulation of the internet under Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive practices.

News / Editorial

 * Eric Goldman, Facebook's Anti-Spam Filter Blocks Legitimate Conversations about Power.com, Technology and Marketing Blog (July 26, 2010).
 * David Kravets, Spam a Judge, Go to Jail?, Wired (Apr. 8, 2010).
 * Eric Bangeman, More transparency coming to blog reviews under new FTC rules, Ars Technica (Oct. 5, 2009).
 * Greg Sandoval, Congress demands info from Web loyalty firm, CNET News (Jul. 29, 2009).
 * Reuters, Lawmaker urges regulations for file-sharing, Reuters (Jul. 29, 2009).
 * Jacqui Cheng, Cosmetic surgery co. gets slapped for fake online reviews, Ars Technica (Jul. 16, 2009).
 * Jennifer Peltz, NY AG: Facelift firm placed bogus online reviews, San Francisco Chronicle (Jul. 14, 2009).
 * Office of the Attorney General, Attorney General Cuomo secures settlement with plastic surgery franchise that flooded internet with false positive reviews, New York State Attorney General Media Center (Jul. 14, 2009).
 * AP, NY AG Cuomo: ‘Tagged’ network stole identies, raided address books, Boston Herald (Jul. 9, 2009).
 * Jacqui Cheng, Internet scareware scammers settle with FTC for $100,000, Ars Technica (Jun. 25, 2009).
 * Tresa Baldas, 'Spam King' and Cohorts Plead Guilty to Fraud and Other Charges, The National Law Journal (Jun. 24, 2009).
 * Conservatives introduce anti-spam bill, CBC News (Apr. 24, 2009).
 * Darren Waters, Spam overwhelms e-mail messages, BBC News (Apr. 8 2009).
 * Jerry Markon, U.S. High Court Lets Stand Rejection of Anti-Spam Law, Washington Post (Mar. 31, 2009).
 * Virginia to Rewrite Antispam Law Following Court Action, The Wall Street Journal (Mar. 30, 2009).
 * Juha Saarinen, 'Spam King' resurfaces, linked with SMS campaign, Computerworld (Mar. 11, 2009).
 * Rick Barrett, Telemarketer sued for cell-phone calls, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Feb. 27, 2009).
 * David Chartier, First spam felony conviction upheld: no free speech to spam, Ars Technica (Mar. 2, 2008) (The Virginia Supreme Court later reheard the case and held Virginia's Anti-Spam law violated the First Amendment).
 * Ken Magill, Man, Oh Man, What a Racket, Direct (May 22, 2007).
 * Charlie Anderson, Young Web pioneer is an old hand, Kansas City Business Journal (Mar. 24, 2006).

Legal Briefs / Opinions / Statutes

 * Abbas v. Selling Source, LLC, No. 09-3413 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 14, 2009) (SMS spam messages are "calls," under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act).
 * Asis Internet Services v. Subscriberbase Inc., No. 09-3503 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 4, 2009) (claims under California's anti-spam statute are not preempted by CAN-SPAM even where plaintiff does not plead reliance or damages).
 * Asis Internet Services v. Azoogle.com, Inc., Nos. 08-15979 and 08-17779 (9th Cir. Dec. 2, 2009) (non-precedential) (cost of carrying spam emails over Plaintiff’s facilities, unrecorded employee time, and cost of spam filters does not constitute a harm as required by CAN-SPAM).
 * Gordon v. Virtumundo, Inc., 2009 U.S. App. LEXIS 17518 (9th Cir. Aug. 6, 2009).
 * Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA): 47 U.S.C. § 227.
 * Satterfield v. Simon & Schuster, No. 07-16356, 2009 U.S. App. LEXIS 13197 (9th Cir. Jun 19, 2009).
 * Asis Internet Servs. v. Vistaprint United States, Inc., No. 08-5261, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41384 (N.D. Cal. May 5, 2009).
 * ASIS Internet Servs. v. Consumerbargaingiveaways, LLC, No. 08-04856, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36523 (N.D. Cal. Apr. 17, 2009).
 * Facebook, Inc. v. ConnectU LLC, 489 F. Supp. 2d 1087 (N.D. Cal. 2007).
 * White Buffalo Ventures, LLC v. Univ. of Texas, 420 F.3d 366 (5th Cir. 2005).

Scholarship / Government Reports

 * Federal Trade Commission, Spam Summit: The Next Generation of Threats and Solutions (Nov. 2007).
 * Federal Trade Commission, Subject Line Labeling As a Weapon Against Spam: A CAN-SPAM Act Report to Congress (Jun. 2005).
 * Federal Trade Commission, A CAN-SPAM Informant Reward System: A Report to Congress (Sep. 2004).
 * Federal Trade Commission, National Do Not Email Registry: A Report to Congress (Jun. 2004).