[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 174 (Tuesday, November 25, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15938-S15948]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          CAN-SPAM ACT OF 2003

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, as my good friend from New Mexico was 
pointing out some of the good news, I have some more. I ask that the 
Chair lay before the Senate a message from the House on S. 877.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message:

                                 S. 877

       Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 877) entitled 
     ``An Act to regulate interstate commerce by imposing 
     limitations and penalties on the transmission of unsolicited 
     commercial electronic mail via the Internet'', do pass with 
     the following amendment:
       Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Controlling the Assault of 
     Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003'', or the 
     ``CAN-SPAM Act of 2003''.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND POLICY.

       (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
       (1) Electronic mail has become an extremely important and 
     popular means of communication, relied on by millions of 
     Americans on a daily basis for personal and commercial 
     purposes. Its low cost and global reach make it extremely 
     convenient and efficient, and offer unique opportunities for 
     the development and growth of frictionless commerce.
       (2) The convenience and efficiency of electronic mail are 
     threatened by the extremely rapid growth in the volume of 
     unsolicited commercial electronic mail. Unsolicited 
     commercial electronic mail is currently estimated to account 
     for over half of all electronic mail traffic, up from an 
     estimated 7 percent in 2001, and the volume continues to 
     rise. Most of these messages are fraudulent or deceptive in 
     one or more respects.
       (3) The receipt of unsolicited commercial electronic mail 
     may result in costs to recipients who cannot refuse to accept 
     such mail and who incur costs for the storage of such mail, 
     or for the time spent accessing, reviewing, and discarding 
     such mail, or for both.
       (4) The receipt of a large number of unwanted messages also 
     decreases the convenience of electronic mail and creates a 
     risk that wanted electronic mail messages, both commercial 
     and noncommercial, will be lost, overlooked, or discarded 
     amidst the larger volume of unwanted messages, thus reducing 
     the reliability and usefulness of electronic mail to the 
     recipient.
       (5) Some commercial electronic mail contains material that 
     many recipients may consider vulgar or pornographic in 
     nature.
       (6) The growth in unsolicited commercial electronic mail 
     imposes significant monetary costs on providers of Internet 
     access services, businesses, and educational and nonprofit 
     institutions that carry and receive such mail, as there is a 
     finite volume of mail that such providers, businesses, and 
     institutions can handle without further investment in 
     infrastructure.
       (7) Many senders of unsolicited commercial electronic mail 
     purposefully disguise the source of such mail.
       (8) Many senders of unsolicited commercial electronic mail 
     purposefully include misleading information in the message's 
     subject lines in order to induce the recipients to view the 
     messages.
       (9) While some senders of commercial electronic mail 
     messages provide simple and reliable ways for recipients to 
     reject (or ``opt-out'' of) receipt of commercial electronic 
     mail from such senders in the future, other senders provide 
     no such ``opt-out'' mechanism, or refuse to honor the 
     requests of recipients not to receive electronic mail from 
     such senders in the future, or both.
       (10) Many senders of bulk unsolicited commercial electronic 
     mail use computer programs to gather large numbers of 
     electronic mail addresses on an automated basis from Internet 
     websites or online services where users must post their 
     addresses in order to make full use of the website or 
     service.
       (11) Many States have enacted legislation intended to 
     regulate or reduce unsolicited commercial electronic mail, 
     but these statutes impose different standards and 
     requirements. As a result, they do not appear to have been 
     successful in addressing the problems associated with 
     unsolicited commercial electronic mail, in part because, 
     since an electronic mail address does not specify a 
     geographic location, it can be extremely difficult for law-
     abiding businesses to know with which of these disparate 
     statutes they are required to comply.
       (12) The problems associated with the rapid growth and 
     abuse of unsolicited commercial electronic mail cannot be 
     solved by Federal legislation alone. The development and 
     adoption of technological approaches and the pursuit of 
     cooperative efforts with other countries will be necessary as 
     well.
       (b) Congressional Determination of Public Policy.--On the 
     basis of the findings in subsection (a), the Congress 
     determines that--
       (1) there is a substantial government interest in 
     regulation of commercial electronic mail on a nationwide 
     basis;
       (2) senders of commercial electronic mail should not 
     mislead recipients as to the source or content of such mail; 
     and
       (3) recipients of commercial electronic mail have a right 
     to decline to receive additional commercial electronic mail 
     from the same source.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Affirmative consent.--The term ``affirmative consent'', 
     when used with respect to a commercial electronic mail 
     message, means that--
       (A) the recipient expressly consented to receive the 
     message, either in response to a clear and conspicuous 
     request for such consent or at the recipient's own 
     initiative; and
       (B) if the message is from a party other than the party to 
     which the recipient communicated such consent, the recipient 
     was given clear and conspicuous notice at the time the 
     consent was communicated that the recipient's electronic mail 
     address could be transferred to such other party for the 
     purpose of initiating commercial electronic mail messages.
       (2) Commercial electronic mail message.--
       (A) In general.--The term ``commercial electronic mail 
     message'' means any electronic mail message the primary 
     purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion 
     of a commercial product or service (including content on an 
     Internet website operated for a commercial purpose).
       (B) Transactional or relationship messages.--The term 
     ``commercial electronic mail message'' does not include a 
     transactional or relationship message.
       (C) Regulations regarding primary purpose.--Not later than 
     12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     Commission shall issue regulations pursuant to section 13 
     further defining the relevant criteria to facilitate the 
     determination of the primary purpose of an electronic mail 
     message.
       (D) Reference to company or website.--The inclusion of a 
     reference to a commercial entity or a link to the website of 
     a commercial entity in an electronic mail message does not, 
     by itself, cause such message to be treated as a commercial 
     electronic mail message for purposes of this Act if the 
     contents or circumstances of the message indicate a primary 
     purpose other than commercial advertisement or promotion of a 
     commercial product or service.
       (3) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
     Trade Commission.
       (4) Domain name.--The term ``domain name'' means any 
     alphanumeric designation which is registered with or assigned 
     by any domain name registrar, domain name registry, or other 
     domain name registration authority as part of an electronic 
     address on the Internet.
       (5) Electronic mail address.--The term ``electronic mail 
     address'' means a destination, commonly expressed as a string 
     of characters, consisting of a unique user name or mailbox 
     (commonly referred to as the ``local part'') and a reference 
     to an Internet domain (commonly referred to as the ``domain 
     part''), whether or not displayed, to which an electronic 
     mail message can be sent or delivered.
       (6) Electronic mail message.--The term ``electronic mail 
     message'' means a message sent to a unique electronic mail 
     address.
       (7) FTC act.--The term ``FTC Act'' means the Federal Trade 
     Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 et seq.).
       (8) Header information.--The term ``header information'' 
     means the source, destination, and routing information 
     attached to an electronic mail message, including the 
     originating domain name and originating electronic mail 
     address, and any other information that appears in the line 
     identifying, or purporting to identify, a person initiating 
     the message.
       (9) Initiate.--The term ``initiate'', when used with 
     respect to a commercial electronic mail message, means to 
     originate or transmit such message or to procure the 
     origination or transmission of such message, but shall not 
     include actions that constitute routine conveyance of such 
     message. For purposes of this paragraph, more than 1 person 
     may be considered to have initiated a message.
       (10) Internet.--The term ``Internet'' has the meaning given 
     that term in the Internet Tax Freedom Act (47 U.S.C. 151 
     note).
       (11) Internet access service.--The term ``Internet access 
     service'' has the meaning given that term in section 
     231(e)(4) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 
     231(e)(4)).
       (12) Procure.--The term ``procure'', when used with respect 
     to the initiation of a commercial electronic mail message, 
     means intentionally to pay or provide other consideration to, 
     or induce, another person to initiate such a message on one's 
     behalf.
       (13) Protected computer.--The term ``protected computer'' 
     has the meaning given that term in section 1030(e)(2)(B) of 
     title 18, United States Code.
       (14) Recipient.--The term ``recipient'', when used with 
     respect to a commercial electronic mail message, means an 
     authorized user of the electronic mail address to which the 
     message was sent or delivered. If a recipient of a commercial 
     electronic mail message has 1 or more electronic mail 
     addresses in addition to the address to which the message was 
     sent or delivered, the recipient shall be treated as a 
     separate recipient with respect to each such address. If an 
     electronic mail address is reassigned to a new user, the new 
     user shall not be treated as a recipient of any commercial 
     electronic mail message sent or delivered to that address 
     before it was reassigned.
       (15) Routine conveyance.--The term ``routine conveyance'' 
     means the transmission, routing, relaying, handling, or 
     storing, through an automatic technical process, of an 
     electronic mail message for which another person has 
     identified the recipients or provided the recipient 
     addresses.
       (16) Sender.--

[[Page S15939]]

       (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B), 
     the term ``sender'' means a person who initiates such a 
     message and whose product, service, or Internet web site is 
     advertised or promoted by the message.
       (B) Separate lines of business or divisions.--If an entity 
     operates through separate lines of business or divisions and 
     holds itself out to the recipient of the message, in 
     complying with the requirement under section 5(a)(5)(B), as 
     that particular line of business or division rather than as 
     the entity of which such line of business or division is a 
     part, then the line of business or the division shall be 
     treated as the sender of such message for purposes of this 
     Act.
       (17) Transactional or relationship message.--
       (A) In general.--The term ``transactional or relationship 
     message'' means an electronic mail message the primary 
     purpose of which is--
       (i) to facilitate, complete, or confirm a commercial 
     transaction that the recipient has previously agreed to enter 
     into with the sender;
       (ii) to provide warranty information, product recall 
     information, or safety or security information with respect 
     to a commercial product or service used or purchased by the 
     recipient;
       (iii) to provide--

       (I) notification concerning a change in the terms or 
     features of;
       (II) notification of a change in the recipient's standing 
     or status with respect to; or
       (III) at regular periodic intervals, account balance 
     information or other type of account statement with respect 
     to,

     a subscription, membership, account, loan, or comparable 
     ongoing commercial relationship involving the ongoing 
     purchase or use by the recipient of products or services 
     offered by the sender;
       (iv) to provide information directly related to an 
     employment relationship or related benefit plan in which the 
     recipient is currently involved, participating, or enrolled; 
     or
       (v) to deliver goods or services, including product updates 
     or upgrades, that the recipient is entitled to receive under 
     the terms of a transaction that the recipient has previously 
     agreed to enter into with the sender.
       (B) Modification of definition.--The Commission by 
     regulation pursuant to section 13 may modify the definition 
     in subparagraph (A) to expand or contract the categories of 
     messages that are treated as transactional or relationship 
     messages for purposes of this Act to the extent that such 
     modification is necessary to accommodate changes in 
     electronic mail technology or practices and accomplish the 
     purposes of this Act.

     SEC. 4. PROHIBITION AGAINST PREDATORY AND ABUSIVE COMMERCIAL 
                   E-MAIL.

       (a) Offense.--
       (1) In general.--Chapter 47 of title 18, United States 
     Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
     section:

     ``Sec. 1037. Fraud and related activity in connection with 
       electronic mail

       ``(a) In General.--Whoever, in or affecting interstate or 
     foreign commerce, knowingly--
       ``(1) accesses a protected computer without authorization, 
     and intentionally initiates the transmission of multiple 
     commercial electronic mail messages from or through such 
     computer,
       ``(2) uses a protected computer to relay or retransmit 
     multiple commercial electronic mail messages, with the intent 
     to deceive or mislead recipients, or any Internet access 
     service, as to the origin of such messages,
       ``(3) materially falsifies header information in multiple 
     commercial electronic mail messages and intentionally 
     initiates the transmission of such messages,
       ``(4) registers, using information that materially 
     falsifies the identity of the actual registrant, for 5 or 
     more electronic mail accounts or online user accounts or 2 or 
     more domain names, and intentionally initiates the 
     transmission of multiple commercial electronic mail messages 
     from any combination of such accounts or domain names, or
       ``(5) falsely represents oneself to be the registrant or 
     the legitimate successor in interest to the registrant of 5 
     or more Internet protocol addresses, and intentionally 
     initiates the transmission of multiple commercial electronic 
     mail messages from such addresses,
     or conspires to do so, shall be punished as provided in 
     subsection (b).
       ``(b) Penalties.--The punishment for an offense under 
     subsection (a) is--
       ``(1) a fine under this title, imprisonment for not more 
     than 5 years, or both, if--
       ``(A) the offense is committed in furtherance of any felony 
     under the laws of the United States or of any State; or
       ``(B) the defendant has previously been convicted under 
     this section or section 1030, or under the law of any State 
     for conduct involving the transmission of multiple commercial 
     electronic mail messages or unauthorized access to a computer 
     system;
       ``(2) a fine under this title, imprisonment for not more 
     than 3 years, or both, if--
       ``(A) the offense is an offense under subsection (a)(1);
       ``(B) the offense is an offense under subsection (a)(4) and 
     involved 20 or more falsified electronic mail or online user 
     account registrations, or 10 or more falsified domain name 
     registrations;
       ``(C) the volume of electronic mail messages transmitted in 
     furtherance of the offense exceeded 2,500 during any 24-hour 
     period, 25,000 during any 30-day period, or 250,000 during 
     any 1-year period;
       ``(D) the offense caused loss to 1 or more persons 
     aggregating $5,000 or more in value during any 1-year period;
       ``(E) as a result of the offense any individual committing 
     the offense obtained anything of value aggregating $5,000 or 
     more during any 1-year period; or
       ``(F) the offense was undertaken by the defendant in 
     concert with 3 or more other persons with respect to whom the 
     defendant occupied a position of organizer or leader; and
       ``(3) a fine under this title or imprisonment for not more 
     than 1 year, or both, in any other case.
       ``(c) Forfeiture.--
       ``(1) In general.--The court, in imposing sentence on a 
     person who is convicted of an offense under this section, 
     shall order that the defendant forfeit to the United States--
       ``(A) any property, real or personal, constituting or 
     traceable to gross proceeds obtained from such offense; and
       ``(B) any equipment, software, or other technology used or 
     intended to be used to commit or to facilitate the commission 
     of such offense.
       ``(2) Procedures.--The procedures set forth in section 413 
     of the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 853), other than 
     subsection (d) of that section, and in Rule 32.2 of the 
     Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, shall apply to all 
     stages of a criminal forfeiture proceeding under this 
     section.
       ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) Loss.--The term `loss' has the meaning given that 
     term in section 1030(e) of this title.
       ``(2) Materially.--For purposes of paragraphs (3) and (4) 
     of subsection (a), header information or registration 
     information is materially misleading if it is altered or 
     concealed in a manner that would impair the ability of a 
     recipient of the message, an Internet access service 
     processing the message on behalf of a recipient, a person 
     alleging a violation of this section, or a law enforcement 
     agency to identify, locate, or respond to a person who 
     initiated the electronic mail message or to investigate the 
     alleged violation.
       ``(3) Multiple.--The term `multiple' means more than 100 
     electronic mail messages during a 24-hour period, more than 
     1,000 electronic mail messages during a 30-day period, or 
     more than 10,000 electronic mail messages during a 1-year 
     period.
       ``(4) Other terms.--Any other term has the meaning given 
     that term by section 3 of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.''.
       (2) Conforming amendment.--The chapter analysis for chapter 
     47 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
     the end the following:

``Sec.
``1037. Fraud and related activity in connection with electronic 
              mail.''.

       (b) United States Sentencing Commission.--
       (1) Directive.--Pursuant to its authority under section 
     994(p) of title 28, United States Code, and in accordance 
     with this section, the United States Sentencing Commission 
     shall review and, as appropriate, amend the sentencing 
     guidelines and policy statements to provide appropriate 
     penalties for violations of section 1037 of title 18, United 
     States Code, as added by this section, and other offenses 
     that may be facilitated by the sending of large quantities of 
     unsolicited electronic mail.
       (2) Requirements.--In carrying out this subsection, the 
     Sentencing Commission shall consider providing sentencing 
     enhancements for--
       (A) those convicted under section 1037 of title 18, United 
     States Code, who--
       (i) obtained electronic mail addresses through improper 
     means, including--

       (I) harvesting electronic mail addresses of the users of a 
     website, proprietary service, or other online public forum 
     operated by another person, without the authorization of such 
     person; and
       (II) randomly generating electronic mail addresses by 
     computer; or

       (ii) knew that the commercial electronic mail messages 
     involved in the offense contained or advertised an Internet 
     domain for which the registrant of the domain had provided 
     false registration information; and
       (B) those convicted of other offenses, including offenses 
     involving fraud, identity theft, obscenity, child 
     pornography, and the sexual exploitation of children, if such 
     offenses involved the sending of large quantities of 
     electronic mail.
       (c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) Spam has become the method of choice for those who 
     distribute pornography, perpetrate fraudulent schemes, and 
     introduce viruses, worms, and Trojan horses into personal and 
     business computer systems; and
       (2) the Department of Justice should use all existing law 
     enforcement tools to investigate and prosecute those who send 
     bulk commercial e-mail to facilitate the commission of 
     Federal crimes, including the tools contained in chapters 47 
     and 63 of title 18, United States Code (relating to fraud and 
     false statements); chapter 71 of title 18, United States Code 
     (relating to obscenity); chapter 110 of title 18, United 
     States Code (relating to the sexual exploitation of 
     children); and chapter 95 of title 18, United States Code 
     (relating to racketeering), as appropriate.

     SEC. 5. OTHER PROTECTIONS FOR USERS OF COMMERCIAL ELECTRONIC 
                   MAIL.

       (a) Requirements for Transmission of Messages.--
       (1) Prohibition of false or misleading transmission 
     information.--It is unlawful for any person to initiate the 
     transmission, to a protected computer, of a commercial 
     electronic mail message, or a transactional or relationship 
     message, that contains, or is accompanied by, header 
     information that is materially false or materially 
     misleading. For purposes of this paragraph--
       (A) header information that is technically accurate but 
     includes an originating electronic mail address, domain name, 
     or Internet protocol address the access to which for purposes 
     of initiating the message was obtained by means of false or 
     fraudulent pretenses or representations shall be considered 
     materially misleading;

[[Page S15940]]

       (B) a ``from'' line (the line identifying or purporting to 
     identify a person initiating the message) that accurately 
     identifies any person who initiated the message shall not be 
     considered materially false or materially misleading; and
       (C) header information shall be considered materially 
     misleading if it fails to identify accurately a protected 
     computer used to initiate the message because the person 
     initiating the message knowingly uses another protected 
     computer to relay or retransmit the message for purposes of 
     disguising its origin.
       (2) Prohibition of deceptive subject headings.--It is 
     unlawful for any person to initiate the transmission to a 
     protected computer of a commercial electronic mail message if 
     such person has actual knowledge, or knowledge fairly implied 
     on the basis of objective circumstances, that a subject 
     heading of the message would be likely to mislead a 
     recipient, acting reasonably under the circumstances, about a 
     material fact regarding the contents or subject matter of the 
     message (consistent with the criteria are used in enforcement 
     of section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 
     45)).
       (3) Inclusion of return address or comparable mechanism in 
     commercial electronic mail.--
       (A) In general.--It is unlawful for any person to initiate 
     the transmission to a protected computer of a commercial 
     electronic mail message that does not contain a functioning 
     return electronic mail address or other Internet-based 
     mechanism, clearly and conspicuously displayed, that--
       (i) a recipient may use to submit, in a manner specified in 
     the message, a reply electronic mail message or other form of 
     Internet-based communication requesting not to receive future 
     commercial electronic mail messages from that sender at the 
     electronic mail address where the message was received; and
       (ii) remains capable of receiving such messages or 
     communications for no less than 30 days after the 
     transmission of the original message.
       (B) More detailed options possible.--The person initiating 
     a commercial electronic mail message may comply with 
     subparagraph (A)(i) by providing the recipient a list or menu 
     from which the recipient may choose the specific types of 
     commercial electronic mail messages the recipient wants to 
     receive or does not want to receive from the sender, if the 
     list or menu includes an option under which the recipient may 
     choose not to receive any commercial electronic mail messages 
     from the sender.
       (C) Temporary inability to receive messages or process 
     requests.--A return electronic mail address or other 
     mechanism does not fail to satisfy the requirements of 
     subparagraph (A) if it is unexpectedly and temporarily unable 
     to receive messages or process requests due to a technical 
     problem beyond the control of the sender if the problem is 
     corrected within a reasonable time period.
       (4) Prohibition of transmission of commercial electronic 
     mail after objection.--
       (A) In general.--If a recipient makes a request using a 
     mechanism provided pursuant to paragraph (3) not to receive 
     some or any commercial electronic mail messages from such 
     sender, then it is unlawful--
       (i) for the sender to initiate the transmission to the 
     recipient, more than 10 business days after the receipt of 
     such request, of a commercial electronic mail message that 
     falls within the scope of the request;
       (ii) for any person acting on behalf of the sender to 
     initiate the transmission to the recipient, more than 10 
     business days after the receipt of such request, of a 
     commercial electronic mail message with actual knowledge, or 
     knowledge fairly implied on the basis of objective 
     circumstances, that such message falls within the scope of 
     the request;
       (iii) for any person acting on behalf of the sender to 
     assist in initiating the transmission to the recipient, 
     through the provision or selection of addresses to which the 
     message will be sent, of a commercial electronic mail message 
     with actual knowledge, or knowledge fairly implied on the 
     basis of objective circumstances, that such message would 
     violate clause (i) or (ii); or
       (iv) for the sender, or any other person who knows that the 
     recipient has made such a request, to sell, lease, exchange, 
     or otherwise transfer or release the electronic mail address 
     of the recipient (including through any transaction or other 
     transfer involving mailing lists bearing the electronic mail 
     address of the recipient) for any purpose other than 
     compliance with this Act or other provision of law, except 
     where the recipient has given express consent.
       (B) Opt back in.--A prohibition in clause (i), (ii), or 
     (iii) of subparagraph (A) does not apply if there is 
     affirmative consent by the recipient subsequent to the 
     request under subparagraph (A).
       (5) Inclusion of identifier, opt-out, and physical address 
     in commercial electronic mail.--
       (A) It is unlawful for any person to initiate the 
     transmission of any commercial electronic mail message to a 
     protected computer unless the message provides--
       (i) clear and conspicuous identification that the message 
     is an advertisement or solicitation;
       (ii) clear and conspicuous notice of the opportunity under 
     paragraph (3) to decline to receive further commercial 
     electronic mail messages from the sender; and
       (iii) a valid physical postal address of the sender.
       (B) Subparagraph (A)(i) does not apply to the transmission 
     of a commercial electronic mail if the recipient has given 
     prior affirmative consent to receipt of the message.
       (6) Subsequent affirmative consent.--The prohibitions in 
     subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) do not apply to the 
     initiation of transmission of commercial electronic mail to a 
     recipient who, subsequent to a request using a mechanism 
     provided pursuant to paragraph (3) not to receive commercial 
     electronic mail messages from the sender, has granted 
     affirmative consent to the sender to receive such messages.
       (7) Materially.--For purposes of paragraph (1)(A), header 
     information shall be considered to be materially misleading 
     if it is altered or concealed in a manner that would impair 
     the ability of an Internet access service processing the 
     message on behalf of a recipient, a person alleging a 
     violation of this section, or a law enforcement agency to 
     identify, locate, or respond to the person who initiated the 
     electronic mail message or to investigate the alleged 
     violation, or the ability of a recipient of the message to 
     respond to a person who initiated the electronic message.
       (b) Aggravated Violations Relating to Commercial Electronic 
     Mail.--
       (1) Address harvesting and dictionary attacks.--
       (A) In general.--It is unlawful for any person to initiate 
     the transmission, to a protected computer, of a commercial 
     electronic mail message that is unlawful under subsection 
     (a), or to assist in the origination of such message through 
     the provision or selection of addresses to which the message 
     will be transmitted, if such person had actual knowledge, or 
     knowledge fairly implied on the basis of objective 
     circumstances, that--
       (i) the electronic mail address of the recipient was 
     obtained using an automated means from an Internet website or 
     proprietary online service operated by another person, and 
     such website or online service included, at the time the 
     address was obtained, a notice stating that the operator of 
     such website or online service will not give, sell, or 
     otherwise transfer addresses maintained by such website or 
     online service to any other party for the purposes of 
     initiating, or enabling others to initiate, electronic mail 
     messages; or
       (ii) the electronic mail address of the recipient was 
     obtained using an automated means that generates possible 
     electronic mail addresses by combining names, letters, or 
     numbers into numerous permutations.
       (B) Disclaimer.--Nothing in this paragraph creates an 
     ownership or proprietary interest in such electronic mail 
     addresses.
       (2) Automated creation of multiple electronic mail 
     accounts.--It is unlawful for any person to use scripts or 
     other automated means to register for multiple electronic 
     mail accounts or online user accounts from which to transmit 
     to a protected computer, or enable another person to transmit 
     to a protected computer, a commercial electronic mail message 
     that is unlawful under subsection (a).
       (3) Relay or retransmission through unauthorized access.--
     It is unlawful for any person knowingly to relay or 
     retransmit a commercial electronic mail message that is 
     unlawful under subsection (a) from a protected computer or 
     computer network that such person has accessed without 
     authorization.
       (c) Supplementary Rulemaking Authority.--The Commission 
     shall by rule, pursuant to section 13--
       (1) modify the 10-business-day period under subsection 
     (a)(4)(A) or subsection (a)(4)(B), or both, if the Commission 
     determines that a different period would be more reasonable 
     after taking into account--
       (A) the purposes of subsection (a);
       (B) the interests of recipients of commercial electronic 
     mail; and
       (C) the burdens imposed on senders of lawful commercial 
     electronic mail; and
       (2) specify additional activities or practices to which 
     subsection (b) applies if the Commission determines that 
     those activities or practices are contributing substantially 
     to the proliferation of commercial electronic mail messages 
     that are unlawful under subsection (a).
       (d) Requirement To Place Warning Labels on Commercial 
     Electronic Mail Containing Sexually Oriented Material.--
       (1) In general.--No person may initiate in or affecting 
     interstate commerce the transmission, to a protected 
     computer, of any commercial electronic mail message that 
     includes sexually oriented material and--
       (A) fail to include in subject heading for the electronic 
     mail message the marks or notices prescribed by the 
     Commission under this subsection; or
       (B) fail to provide that the matter in the message that is 
     initially viewable to the recipient, when the message is 
     opened by any recipient and absent any further actions by the 
     recipient, includes only--
       (i) to the extent required or authorized pursuant to 
     paragraph (2), any such marks or notices;
       (ii) the information required to be included in the message 
     pursuant to subsection (a)(5); and
       (iii) instructions on how to access, or a mechanism to 
     access, the sexually oriented material.
       (2) Prior affirmative consent.--Paragraph (1) does not 
     apply to the transmission of an electronic mail message if 
     the recipient has given prior affirmative consent to receipt 
     of the message.
       (3) Prescription of marks and notices.--Not later than 120 
     days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
     Commission in consultation with the Attorney General shall 
     prescribe clearly identifiable marks or notices to be 
     included in or associated with commercial electronic mail 
     that contains sexually oriented material, in order to inform 
     the recipient of that fact and to facilitate filtering of 
     such electronic mail. The Commission shall publish in the 
     Federal Register and provide notice to the public of the 
     marks or notices prescribed under this paragraph.
       (4) Definition.--In this subsection, the term ``sexually 
     oriented material'' means any material that depicts sexually 
     explicit conduct (as that term is defined in section 2256 of 
     title 18, United States Code), unless the depiction 
     constitutes a small and insignificant part of the

[[Page S15941]]

     whole, the remainder of which is not primarily devoted to 
     sexual matters.
       (4) Penalty.--Whoever knowingly violates paragraph (1) 
     shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, or 
     imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

     SEC. 6. BUSINESSES KNOWINGLY PROMOTED BY ELECTRONIC MAIL WITH 
                   FALSE OR MISLEADING TRANSMISSION INFORMATION.

       (a) In General.--It is unlawful for a person to promote, or 
     allow the promotion of, that person's trade or business, or 
     goods, products, property, or services sold, offered for 
     sale, leased or offered for lease, or otherwise made 
     available through that trade or business, in a commercial 
     electronic mail message the transmission of which is in 
     violation of section 5(a)(1) if that person--
       (1) knows, or should have known in ordinary course of that 
     person's trade or business, that the goods, products, 
     property, or services sold, offered for sale, leased or 
     offered for lease, or otherwise made available through that 
     trade or business were being promoted in such a message;
       (2) received or expected to receive an economic benefit 
     from such promotion; and
       (3) took no reasonable action--
       (A) to prevent the transmission; or
       (B) to detect the transmission and report it to the 
     Commission.
       (b) Limited Enforcement Against Third Parties.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), a 
     person (hereinafter referred to as the ``third party'') that 
     provides goods, products, property, or services to another 
     person that violates subsection (a) shall not be held liable 
     for such violation.
       (2) Exception.--Liability for a violation of subsection (a) 
     shall be imputed to a third party that provides goods, 
     products, property, or services to another person that 
     violates subsection (a) if that third party--
       (A) owns, or has a greater than 50 percent ownership or 
     economic interest in, the trade or business of the person 
     that violated subsection (a); or
       (B)(i) has actual knowledge that goods, products, property, 
     or services are promoted in a commercial electronic mail 
     message the transmission of which is in violation of section 
     5(a)(1); and
       (ii) receives, or expects to receive, an economic benefit 
     from such promotion.
       (c) Exclusive Enforcement by FTC.--Subsections (f) and (g) 
     of section 7 do not apply to violations of this section.
       (d) Savings Provision.--Subject to section 7(f)(7), nothing 
     in this section may be construed to limit or prevent any 
     action that may be taken under this Act with respect to any 
     violation of any other section of this Act.

     SEC. 7. ENFORCEMENT GENERALLY.

       (a) Violation Is Unfair or Deceptive Act or Practice.--
     Except as provided in subsection (b), this Act shall be 
     enforced by the Commission as if the violation of this Act 
     were an unfair or deceptive act or practice proscribed under 
     section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 
     U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)).
       (b) Enforcement by Certain Other Agencies.--Compliance with 
     this Act shall be enforced--
       (1) under section 8 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act 
     (12 U.S.C. 1818), in the case of--
       (A) national banks, and Federal branches and Federal 
     agencies of foreign banks, by the Office of the Comptroller 
     of the Currency;
       (B) member banks of the Federal Reserve System (other than 
     national banks), branches and agencies of foreign banks 
     (other than Federal branches, Federal agencies, and insured 
     State branches of foreign banks), commercial lending 
     companies owned or controlled by foreign banks, organizations 
     operating under section 25 or 25A of the Federal Reserve Act 
     (12 U.S.C. 601 and 611), and bank holding companies, by the 
     Board;
       (C) banks insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance 
     Corporation (other than members of the Federal Reserve 
     System) insured State branches of foreign banks, by the Board 
     of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; 
     and
       (D) savings associations the deposits of which are insured 
     by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, by the Director 
     of the Office of Thrift Supervision;
       (2) under the Federal Credit Union Act (12 U.S.C. 1751 et 
     seq.) by the Board of the National Credit Union 
     Administration with respect to any Federally insured credit 
     union;
       (3) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 
     78a et seq.) by the Securities and Exchange Commission with 
     respect to any broker or dealer;
       (4) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 
     80a-1 et seq.) by the Securities and Exchange Commission with 
     respect to investment companies;
       (5) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 
     80b-1 et seq.) by the Securities and Exchange Commission with 
     respect to investment advisers registered under that Act;
       (6) under State insurance law in the case of any person 
     engaged in providing insurance, by the applicable State 
     insurance authority of the State in which the person is 
     domiciled, subject to section 104 of the Gramm-Bliley-Leach 
     Act (15 U.S.C. 6701), except that in any State in which the 
     State insurance authority elects not to exercise this power, 
     the enforcement authority pursuant to this Act shall be 
     exercised by the Commission in accordance with subsection 
     (a);
       (7) under part A of subtitle VII of title 49, United States 
     Code, by the Secretary of Transportation with respect to any 
     air carrier or foreign air carrier subject to that part;
       (8) under the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 
     181 et seq.) (except as provided in section 406 of that Act 
     (7 U.S.C. 226, 227)), by the Secretary of Agriculture with 
     respect to any activities subject to that Act;
       (9) under the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2001 et 
     seq.) by the Farm Credit Administration with respect to any 
     Federal land bank, Federal land bank association, Federal 
     intermediate credit bank, or production credit association; 
     and
       (10) under the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et 
     seq.) by the Federal Communications Commission with respect 
     to any person subject to the provisions of that Act.
       (c) Exercise of Certain Powers.--For the purpose of the 
     exercise by any agency referred to in subsection (b) of its 
     powers under any Act referred to in that subsection, a 
     violation of this Act is deemed to be a violation of a 
     Federal Trade Commission trade regulation rule. In addition 
     to its powers under any provision of law specifically 
     referred to in subsection (b), each of the agencies referred 
     to in that subsection may exercise, for the purpose of 
     enforcing compliance with any requirement imposed under this 
     Act, any other authority conferred on it by law.
       (d) Actions by the Commission.--The Commission shall 
     prevent any person from violating this Act in the same 
     manner, by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction, 
     powers, and duties as though all applicable terms and 
     provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 41 
     et seq.) were incorporated into and made a part of this Act. 
     Any entity that violates any provision of that subtitle is 
     subject to the penalties and entitled to the privileges and 
     immunities provided in the Federal Trade Commission Act in 
     the same manner, by the same means, and with the same 
     jurisdiction, power, and duties as though all applicable 
     terms and provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act were 
     incorporated into and made a part of that subtitle.
       (e) Availability of Cease-and-Desist Orders and Injunctive 
     Relief Without Showing of Knowledge.--Notwithstanding any 
     other provision of this Act, in any proceeding or action 
     pursuant to subsection (b), (c), or (d) of this section to 
     enforce compliance, through an order to cease and desist or 
     an injunction, with section 5(a)(2), subparagraph (B) or (C) 
     of section 5(a)(4), or section 5(b)(1)(A), neither the 
     Commission nor the Federal Communications Commission shall be 
     required to allege or prove the state of mind required by 
     such section or subparagraph.
       (f) Enforcement by States.--
       (1) Civil action.--In any case in which the attorney 
     general of a State, or an official or agency of a State, has 
     reason to believe that an interest of the residents of that 
     State has been or is threatened or adversely affected by any 
     person who violates paragraph (1) or (2) of section 5(a), or 
     who engages in a pattern or practice that violates paragraph 
     (3), (4), or (5) of section 5(a) of this Act, the attorney 
     general, official, or agency of the State, as parens patriae, 
     may bring a civil action on behalf of the residents of the 
     State in a district court of the United States of appropriate 
     jurisdiction--
       (A) to enjoin further violation of section 5 of this Act by 
     the defendant; or
       (B) to obtain damages on behalf of residents of the State, 
     in an amount equal to the greater of--
       (i) the actual monetary loss suffered by such residents; or
       (ii) the amount determined under paragraph (2).
       (2) Availability of injunctive relief without showing of 
     knowledge.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, 
     in a civil action under paragraph (1)(A) of this subsection, 
     the attorney general, official, or agency of the State shall 
     not be not required to allege or prove the state of mind 
     required by section 5(a)(2), subparagraph (B) or (C) of 
     section 5(a)(4), or section 5(b)(1)(A).
       (3) Statutory damages.--
       (A) In general.--For purposes of paragraph (1)(B)(ii), the 
     amount determined under this paragraph is the amount 
     calculated by multiplying the number of violations (with each 
     separately addressed unlawful message received by or 
     addressed to such residents treated as a separate violation) 
     by up to $250.
       (B) Limitation.--For any violation of section 5 (other than 
     section 5(a)(1)), the amount determined under subparagraph 
     (A) may not exceed $2,000,000.
       (C) Aggravated damages.--The court may increase a damage 
     award to an amount equal to not more than three times the 
     amount otherwise available under this paragraph if--
       (i) the court determines that the defendant committed the 
     violation willfully and knowingly; or
       (ii) the defendant's unlawful activity included one or more 
     of the aggravating violations set forth in section 5(b).
       (D) Reduction of damages.--In assessing damages under 
     subparagraph (A), the court may consider whether--
       (i) the defendant has established and implemented, with due 
     care, commercially reasonable practices and procedures to 
     effectively prevent such violations; or
       (ii) the violation occurred despite commercially reasonable 
     efforts to maintain compliance with such practices and 
     procedures.
       (3) Attorney fees.--In the case of any successful action 
     under paragraph (1), the State may be awarded the costs of 
     the action and reasonable attorney fees as determined by the 
     court.
       (4) Rights of federal regulators.--The State shall serve 
     prior written notice of any action under paragraph (1) upon 
     the Federal Trade Commission or the appropriate Federal 
     regulator determined under subsection (b) and provide the 
     Commission or appropriate Federal regulator with a copy of 
     its complaint, except in any case in which such prior notice 
     is not feasible, in which case the State shall serve such 
     notice immediately upon instituting such action. The Federal 
     Trade Commission or appropriate Federal regulator shall have 
     the right--

[[Page S15942]]

       (A) to intervene in the action;
       (B) upon so intervening, to be heard on all matters arising 
     therein;
       (C) to remove the action to the appropriate United States 
     district court; and
       (D) to file petitions for appeal.
       (5) Construction.--For purposes of bringing any civil 
     action under paragraph (1), nothing in this Act shall be 
     construed to prevent an attorney general of a State from 
     exercising the powers conferred on the attorney general by 
     the laws of that State to--
       (A) conduct investigations;
       (B) administer oaths or affirmations; or
       (C) compel the attendance of witnesses or the production of 
     documentary and other evidence.
       (6) Venue; service of process.--
       (A) Venue.--Any action brought under paragraph (1) may be 
     brought in the district court of the United States that meets 
     applicable requirements relating to venue under section 1391 
     of title 28, United States Code.
       (B) Service of process.--In an action brought under 
     paragraph (1), process may be served in any district in which 
     the defendant--
       (i) is an inhabitant; or
       (ii) maintains a physical place of business.
       (7) Limitation on state action while federal action is 
     pending.--If the Commission or other appropriate Federal 
     agency under subsection (b) has instituted a civil action or 
     an administrative action for violation of this Act, no State 
     attorney general, or official or agency of a State, may bring 
     an action under this subsection during the pendency of that 
     action against any defendant named in the complaint of the 
     Commission or the other agency for any violation of this Act 
     alleged in the complaint.
       (8) Requisite Scienter for Certain Civil Actions.--Except 
     as provided in subsections (a)(2), (a)(4)(B), (a)(4)(C), 
     (b)(1), and (d) of section 5, and paragraph (2) of this 
     subsection, in a civil action brought by a State attorney 
     general, or an official or agency of a State, to recover 
     monetary damages for a violation of this Act, the court shall 
     not grant the relief sought unless the attorney general, 
     official, or agency establishes that the defendant acted with 
     actual knowledge, or knowledge fairly implied on the basis of 
     objective circumstances, of the act or omission that 
     constitutes the violation.
       (g) Action by Provider of Internet Access Service.--
       (1) Action authorized.--A provider of Internet access 
     service adversely affected by a violation of section 5(a) or 
     of section 5(b), or a pattern or practice that violated 
     paragraph (2), (3), (4), or (5) of section 5(a), may bring a 
     civil action in any district court of the United States with 
     jurisdiction over the defendant--
       (A) to enjoin further violation by the defendant; or
       (B) to recover damages in an amount equal to the greater 
     of--
       (i) actual monetary loss incurred by the provider of 
     Internet access service as a result of such violation; or
       (ii) the amount determined under paragraph (3).
       (2) Special definition of ``procure''.--In any action 
     brought under paragraph (1), this Act shall be applied as if 
     the definition of the term ``procure'' in section 3(12) 
     contained, after ``behalf'' the words ``with actual 
     knowledge, or by consciously avoiding knowing, whether such 
     person is engaging, or will engage, in a pattern or practice 
     that violates this Act''.
       (3) Statutory damages.--
       (A) In general.--For purposes of paragraph (1)(B)(ii), the 
     amount determined under this paragraph is the amount 
     calculated by multiplying the number of violations (with each 
     separately addressed unlawful message that is transmitted or 
     attempted to be transmitted over the facilities of the 
     provider of Internet access service, or that is transmitted 
     or attempted to be transmitted to an electronic mail address 
     obtained from the provider of Internet access service in 
     violation of section 5(b)(1)(A)(i), treated as a separate 
     violation) by--
       (i) up to $100, in the case of a violation of section 
     5(a)(1); or
       (ii) $25, in the case of any other violation of section 5.
       (B) Limitation.--For any violation of section 5 (other than 
     section 5(a)(1)), the amount determined under subparagraph 
     (A) may not exceed $1,000,000.
       (C) Aggravated damages.--The court may increase a damage 
     award to an amount equal to not more than three times the 
     amount otherwise available under this paragraph if--
       (i) the court determines that the defendant committed the 
     violation willfully and knowingly; or
       (ii) the defendant's unlawful activity included one or more 
     of the aggravated violations set forth in section 5(b).
       (D) Reduction of damages.--In assessing damages under 
     subparagraph (A), the court may consider whether--
       (i) the defendant has established and implemented, with due 
     care, commercially reasonable practices and procedures to 
     effectively prevent such violations; or
       (ii) the violation occurred despite commercially reasonable 
     efforts to maintain compliance with such practices and 
     procedures.
       (4) Attorney fees.--In any action brought pursuant to 
     paragraph (1), the court may, in its discretion, require an 
     undertaking for the payment of the costs of such action, and 
     assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys' 
     fees, against any party.

     SEC. 8. EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.

       (a) Federal Law.--
       (1) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to impair the 
     enforcement of section 223 or 231 of the Communications Act 
     of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 223 or 231, respectively), chapter 71 
     (relating to obscenity) or 110 (relating to sexual 
     exploitation of children) of title 18, United States Code, or 
     any other Federal criminal statute.
       (2) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect in any 
     way the Commission's authority to bring enforcement actions 
     under FTC Act for materially false or deceptive 
     representations or unfair practices in commercial electronic 
     mail messages.
       (b) State Law.--
       (1) In general.--This Act supersedes any statute, 
     regulation, or rule of a State or political subdivision of a 
     State that expressly regulates the use of electronic mail to 
     send commercial messages, except to the extent that any such 
     statute, regulation, or rule prohibits falsity or deception 
     in any portion of a commercial electronic mail message or 
     information attached thereto.
       (2) State law not specific to electronic mail.--This Act 
     shall not be construed to preempt the applicability of--
       (A) State laws that are not specific to electronic mail, 
     including State trespass, contract, or tort law; or
       (B) other State laws to the extent that those laws relate 
     to acts of fraud or computer crime.
       (c) No Effect on Policies of Providers of Internet Access 
     Service.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to have any 
     effect on the lawfulness or unlawfulness, under any other 
     provision of law, of the adoption, implementation, or 
     enforcement by a provider of Internet access service of a 
     policy of declining to transmit, route, relay, handle, or 
     store certain types of electronic mail messages.

     SEC. 9. DO-NOT-E-MAIL REGISTRY.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Commission shall transmit to the 
     Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and 
     the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce 
     a report that--
       (1) sets forth a plan and timetable for establishing a 
     nationwide marketing Do-Not-E-mail registry;
       (2) includes an explanation of any practical, technical, 
     security, privacy, enforceability, or other concerns that the 
     Commission has regarding such a registry; and
       (3) includes an explanation of how the registry would be 
     applied with respect to children with e-mail accounts.
       (b) Authorization To Implement.--The Commission may 
     establish and implement the plan, but not earlier than 9 
     months after the date of enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 10. STUDY OF EFFECTS OF COMMERCIAL ELECTRONIC MAIL.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 24 months after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Commission, in consultation 
     with the Department of Justice and other appropriate 
     agencies, shall submit a report to the Congress that provides 
     a detailed analysis of the effectiveness and enforcement of 
     the provisions of this Act and the need (if any) for the 
     Congress to modify such provisions.
       (b) Required Analysis.--The Commission shall include in the 
     report required by subsection (a)--
       (1) an analysis of the extent to which technological and 
     marketplace developments, including changes in the nature of 
     the devices through which consumers access their electronic 
     mail messages, may affect the practicality and effectiveness 
     of the provisions of this Act;
       (2) analysis and recommendations concerning how to address 
     commercial electronic mail that originates in or is 
     transmitted through or to facilities or computers in other 
     nations, including initiatives or policy positions that the 
     Federal government could pursue through international 
     negotiations, fora, organizations, or institutions; and
       (3) analysis and recommendations concerning options for 
     protecting consumers, including children, from the receipt 
     and viewing of commercial electronic mail that is obscene or 
     pornographic.

     SEC. 11. IMPROVING ENFORCEMENT BY PROVIDING REWARDS FOR 
                   INFORMATION ABOUT VIOLATIONS; LABELING.

       The Commission shall transmit to the Senate Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of 
     Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce--
       (1) a report, within 9 months after the date of enactment 
     of this Act, that sets forth a system for rewarding those who 
     supply information about violations of this Act, including--
       (A) procedures for the Commission to grant a reward of not 
     less than 20 percent of the total civil penalty collected for 
     a violation of this Act to the first person that--
       (i) identifies the person in violation of this Act; and
       (ii) supplies information that leads to the successful 
     collection of a civil penalty by the Commission; and
       (B) procedures to minimize the burden of submitting a 
     complaint to the Commission concerning violations of this 
     Act, including procedures to allow the electronic submission 
     of complaints to the Commission; and
       (2) a report, within 18 months after the date of enactment 
     of this Act, that sets forth a plan for requiring commercial 
     electronic mail to be identifiable from its subject line, by 
     means of compliance with Internet Engineering Task Force 
     Standards, the use of the characters ``ADV'' in the subject 
     line, or other comparable identifier, or an explanation of 
     any concerns the Commission has that cause the Commission to 
     recommend against the plan.

     SEC. 12. RESTRICTIONS ON OTHER TRANSMISSIONS.

       Section 227(b)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 
     U.S.C. 227(b)(1)) is amended, in the matter preceding 
     subparagraph (A), by inserting ``, or any person outside the 
     United States if the recipient is within the United States'' 
     after ``United States''.

[[Page S15943]]

     SEC. 13. REGULATIONS.

       (a) In General.--The Commission may issue regulations to 
     implement the provisions of this Act (not including the 
     amendments made by sections 4 and 12). Any such regulations 
     shall be issued in accordance with section 553 of title 5, 
     United States Code.
       (b) Limitation.--Subsection (a) may not be construed to 
     authorize the Commission to establish a requirement pursuant 
     to section 5(a)(5)(A) to include any specific words, 
     characters, marks, or labels in a commercial electronic mail 
     message, or to include the identification required by section 
     5(a)(5)(A) in any particular part of such a mail message 
     (such as the subject line or body).

     SEC. 14. APPLICATION TO WIRELESS.

       (a) Effect on Other Law.--Nothing in this Act shall be 
     interpreted to preclude or override the applicability of 
     section 227 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 227) 
     or the rules prescribed under section 3 of the Telemarketing 
     and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act (15 U.S.C. 6102). 
     To the extent that a requirement of such Acts, or rules or 
     regulations promulgated thereunder, is inconsistent with the 
     requirement of this Act, the requirement of such other Acts, 
     or rules or regulations promulgated thereunder, shall take 
     precedence.
       (b) FCC Rulemaking.--The Federal Communications Commission, 
     in consultation with the Federal Trade Commission, shall 
     promulgate rules within 270 days to protect consumers from 
     unwanted mobile service commercial messages. The rules shall, 
     to the extent consistent with subsection (c)--
       (1) provide subscribers to commercial mobile services the 
     ability to avoid receiving mobile service commercial messages 
     unless the subscriber has provided express prior 
     authorization, except as provided in paragraph (3);
       (2) allow recipients of mobile service commercial messages 
     to indicate electronically a desire not to receive future 
     mobile service commercial messages from the initiator;
       (3) take into consideration, in determining whether to 
     subject providers of commercial mobile wireless services to 
     paragraph (1), the relationship that exists between providers 
     of such services and their subscribers, but if the Commission 
     determines that such providers should not be subject to 
     paragraph (1), the rules shall require such providers, in 
     addition to complying with the other provisions of this Act, 
     to allow subscribers to indicate a desire not to receive 
     future mobile service commercial messages at the time of 
     subscribing to such service, and in any billing mechanism; 
     and
       (4) determine how initiators of mobile service commercial 
     messages may comply with the provisions of this Act, 
     considering the unique technical aspects, including the 
     functional and character limitations, of devices that receive 
     such messages.
       (c) Other Factors Considered.--The Federal Communications 
     Commission shall consider the ability of an initiator of an 
     electronic mail message to reasonably determine that the 
     electronic mail message is a mobile service commercial 
     message.
       (d) Mobile Service Commercial Message Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``mobile service commercial message'' means 
     a commercial electronic mail message that contains text, 
     graphics, or images for visual display that is transmitted 
     directly to a wireless device that--
       (1) is utilized by a subscriber of commercial mobile 
     service (as such term is defined in section 332(d) of the 
     Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332(d)) in connection 
     with such service; and
       (2) is capable of accessing and displaying such a message.

     SEC. 15. SEPARABILITY.

       If any provision of this Act or the application thereof to 
     any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of 
     this Act and the application of such provision to other 
     persons or circumstances shall not be affected.

     SEC. 16. EFFECTIVE DATE.

       The provisions of this Act, other than section 9, shall 
     take effect on January 1, 2004.

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
concur in the House amendment with the substitute amendment from 
Senator Burns, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no 
intervening action or debate, and that any statements relating to the 
bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Domenici). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  The amendment (No. 2219) was agreed to.
  (The amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text of 
Amendments.'')
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, this is a good day, not only for me 
personally but many of us who serve in this Senate, especially my 
friend from Oregon whom I see across the aisle.
  It has been 4 years, working on this legislation. This is the CAN-
SPAM bill--everybody is pretty familiar with it--which we hope will 
stem the tide of junk mail that is flooding our Nation's inboxes and 
our e-mail.
  I specifically thank my colleague Senator Wyden from Oregon who is 
coauthor of this bill. He has been working tirelessly on this for 
years--as long as I have. Thanks to the discussions over the past few 
days, many already strong proconsumer provisions in CAN-SPAM have been 
enhanced. Those negotiations have been ongoing and, in some cases, have 
been rather tense. The bill the Senate considers today contains 
substantial statutory damages for spammers and additional notice 
requirements on commercial e-mail.
  The character of the Congress is not always proactive; it is always 
reactive, it seems. That is the nature of the political landscape in 
which we find ourselves. We do not get too excited about doing anything 
until the folks at home get excited, or enough of them, that they form 
a critical mass for us to take action.
  I congratulate Senator Wyden. We serve together on the Commerce 
Committee. We were approached about doing something about the Internet 
and what is coming down on our computers and is found in our mailboxes 
on the Internet. We saw, 4 years ago, that this was going to become a 
problem. It was not just the idea of the Senator who stands before you 
now to do something about unwanted e-mail 4 years ago. There were more 
Senators around here who had the same vision, that as this industry 
grows, a problem will also grow with it. And that is what happened.

  The extent of bipartisan cooperation on this issue is no surprise, 
given the deluge of spam consumers face in their inboxes every day. The 
costs to businesses and individuals is escalating and wide ranging. 
Businesses lose money when employees take more and more time to wade 
through their e-mail. Servers all over the country have difficulty 
blocking spam, clearing their machines so they can operate while 
spammers work to find more and more ways to circumvent the latest 
software server or individual blocking systems.
  In my State of Montana, spam is really horrible, as it is in all 
rural areas across the United States. We have vast distances in 
Montana. Many of my constituents are forced to pay long distance 
charges on their time on the Internet. It is not the only State that 
has to do that. You will find that in the majority of rural areas, in 
all our States. Spam makes it nearly impossible for rural America to 
realize the tremendous economic and educational benefits of the online 
era.
  This bill empowers consumers and grants additional enforcement to the 
Federal Trade Commission to take action against spammers. It also 
allows the States' attorneys general to do the same. The bill requires 
the senders of commercial e-mail to include a clear opt-out mechanism 
to allow consumers to be removed from the mass e-mail lists. This opt-
out must also be clearly described in the e-mail itself, so users of e-
mail are not forced to sift through pages and pages of legalese to 
determine where they can stop the unwanted mail. Senders of commercial 
e-mail must also provide a valid physical postal address, so they are 
not able to hide their identities. Finally, e-mail marketers must 
include a notice that the e-mail is advertising.
  Simply put, the CAN-SPAM bill finally gives consumers a measure of 
control over their inboxes.
  In cases where e-mail marketers don't comply with the CAN-SPAM bill, 
the penalties are very severe. For this part of the bill we have many 
people to thank. Spammers are actually on the hook for damages up to 
$250 per spam e-mail with a cap of $2 million. That gets my attention 
right there. This already high penalty can be tripled if particularly 
unethical methods are used, such as a computer hijacking to send spam 
by taking control of computers of legitimate users without their 
knowledge, and for harvesting addresses from legitimate Web sites to 
send spam. For criminal spammers who try to hide their identities by 
using false header information, damages are not capped. In other words, 
they can go as high, those damages can go as high as the market would 
stand. It also includes enhanced enforcement authority of the FCC to 
close possible loopholes for spammers and to keep up with the 
technological developments.
  Let's face it, technology moves at the speed of light. Granting the 
Commission the ability to keep pace with new techniques of spammers is 
essential because it has become clear, in recent years anyway, that 
these criminals are growing increasingly sophisticated in their 
methods.
  So the passage of this bill today will help stem the tide of the 
toxic sea of

[[Page S15944]]

spam. Clearly, consumers have been demanding control over their e-mail 
inboxes, and the passage of the CAN-SPAM today will give those 
consumers a key victory in the battle against criminal spammers.
  Again, I thank my good friend with whom I served on the Commerce 
Committee, Senator Wyden of Oregon, who has absolutely been a knight in 
shining armor in negotiations and working this through the Congress. 
Also on the floor is Senator Schumer of New York. Senator Schumer has 
offered many positive provisions in this bill. We have had a great time 
debating that. But nonetheless, his contribution is clearly in this 
bill and we appreciate his work. Of course, when I say it is a 
bipartisan effort, that is usually the way we get legislation passed 
around here, legislation that has any kind of future at all.
  I thank them both. It gives me great pleasure to yield the floor for 
my friend from the great State of Oregon, Senator Wyden.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I will be very brief. I know my colleague 
from New York, Senator Schumer, has a plane to catch.
  Senator Burns and I have worked for more than 4 years on this 
legislation, and it is particularly important that it pass today. Every 
single day, the flood of pornographic and sleazy spam grows. With this 
legislation, Congress is beginning to stem the tide. We understand that 
this is going to be a difficult battle because the kingpin spammers are 
not technological simpletons. No matter what law Congress passes, they 
are going to be very aggressive about trying to find evasive strategies 
to get around that. But I am of the view that with the passage of this 
legislation, if our prosecutors, the Federal Trade Commission, and the 
Attorney General come down on the kingpin spammers with hobnail boots, 
we can put in place a strategy that can stem this tide.
  Suffice it to say, the spammers are going to go to great lengths to 
try to get around this law. We know, for example, that many of them are 
going to try to move offshore. It is going to be important to have 
international agreements that will also bring together U.S. authorities 
and international authorities against those who would try to get around 
this legislation.
  It is important to remember what Congress is doing now; that is, 
Congress is saying spamming is an outlaw business. It is an outlaw 
business that is going to be treated as an area of priorities for 
prosecutors and law enforcement officials. That has not been the case 
in the past. Essentially, when Senator Burns and I pursued this problem 
of spamming a number of years ago, a lot of people asked: Why in the 
world would a couple of U.S. Senators be tackling this issue? They 
intimated that it really wasn't worthy of the Senate's time. Spam has 
grown so extraordinarily in the last few years, and now people have 
been clammering about why the Senate isn't moving ahead with this 
legislation that they think is important because spam is such an 
intrusion into their lives every single day.
  We have continued work to do. Senator Schumer will speak next. He has 
a very important idea with respect to trying to put in place a Do Not 
Spam list. It is a promising one. I think all of us would acknowledge 
there are some details to be worked out with the Federal Trade 
Commission. Senator Corzine has done some very good work in looking at 
some creative ideas for the future. I intend to work closely with him 
because he has been a leader in the technology area. But I think we 
ought to understand that this effort today is the culmination of more 
than 4 years of hard work. It is not just needed, it is overdue.
  We are not going to pretend this legislation is a silver bullet 
because we know that no piece of legislation is. But when this bill 
takes effect, the big-time spammers who up to this point faced no 
consequences, for all practical purposes, will suddenly be at risk for 
criminal prosecution, Federal Trade Commission enforcement, and 
million-dollar lawsuits by State attorneys general and Internet service 
providers.
  I believe a number of these key enforcement actions will be taken 
immediately after this legislation is passed. This will set in place 
the kind of deterrent that is going to allow us to say it is a 
different day. The big-time spammers will face consequences when they 
flood our citizens and our families with the trash and the pornography. 
That is why this is an important step forward.
  He is going to speak next, but I commend my colleague, the Senator 
from New York, for his usual persistence. He stayed at it by saying 
this was an important issue. We have wrestled with this question with 
respect to the Do Not Call list as well. I happen to think that the 
Senator from New York is certainly talking about a principle we need to 
address in the communications area. I happen to think the first 
amendment is special. People ought to have the right to communicate. 
But citizens also ought to have the right to say: We have had enough. 
We don't want to have people flooded with this kind of information. 
That is the principle that is at stake here. I commend the Senator from 
New York.
  My partner, the chairman of the telecommunications subcommittee, is 
not in the Chamber. But I am proud to serve with him. He has been an 
exceptionally gracious ally on this for many years.
  I am glad that this proconsumer measure, a measure that I think makes 
a beginning in efforts against big-time spammers, is passing. It will 
be of great benefit to consumers.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Thank you, Mr. President.
  First, let me thank my colleague from Oregon for his leadership on 
this issue, for his persistence--done in a slightly different way, the 
Oregon way, not the New York way, but it is effective, if not more 
effective--and for his understanding. There is no one in this Chamber 
who both understands technology issues and yet has a political grasp of 
politics and blends the two. I thank him for his leadership.
  I thank the Senator from Montana, as well, who has worked long and 
hard on this issue; and my good friend from Arizona, the chairman of 
the Commerce Committee, also.
  This is going to be a good Thanksgiving for consumers. We are dealing 
with spam today. The portability rules for cell phones have been 
enacted. I worked long and hard on those. Both antispamming legislation 
and portability rules are very important things we have done for 
consumers. As technology changes, we need to adapt the rules by which 
this technology can work. The basic principles we have always have to 
be applied in new and different ways. That is what we are trying to do 
today.
  E-mail is one of the great inventions of the 20th century. But, 
unfortunately, if we did nothing, e-mail would not be around within a 
few years and no one could use it. What was an annoyance a few years 
ago has become a major problem this year and could really cripple e-
mail a few years from now. So this Congress has acted. We acted in a 
thoughtful and careful way.
  Is this bill going to solve everything? No. But will it make a real 
difference? You bet. Spammers: Be put on notice. Within a few months 
you will be committing a criminal act if you do what you are doing now.
  With this bill, Congress is saying that if you are a spammer, you can 
wind up in the slammer. That is the bottom line. The bottom line is 
that there will be criminal penalties and real prosecution. Will we go 
after every spammer, somebody who makes a mistake here and there? No. 
But the studies show us--this is what gives all of us such hope--that 
maybe 250 spammers send out 90 percent of the e-mail. And we are saying 
to those 250, no matter where you are, or how you try to hide your 
spam, we will find you. This bill gives the FTC and the Justice 
Department the tools to go after you.
  That is why this bill is so important. This is such a good day, not 
only for those who use computers but for technology in general.
  I became familiar with this issue when I noticed my daughter on her 
computer. My wife and I had always said to one another: Isn't it great 
that instead of watching television, our kids are always on the 
computer? Then we saw what was popping up in their e-mail--things we 
wouldn't want to see, let alone my 14-year-old daughter. As we looked 
into it, we saw what was happening. Spam is annoying, crippling 
commerce, and pornographic. All of

[[Page S15945]]

that has to end while we preserve the essence of spam itself, which is 
ease of communication.
  There is no single solution. That is why this bill is correct in 
taking the eclectic approach. I wanted to put a few more provisions in. 
I have talked to my friends from Montana and Oregon. We are going to 
monitor this. If new things are needed, we will add them. But there are 
many different ways we can go after spammers after this legislation is 
signed by the President.
  The part for which I fought fiercely is the No Spam Registry. It will 
provide prosecutors with the best tools to create the case. They won't 
have to prove intent. They won't have to prove anything other than as 
they do with the No Call Registry. Day after day, spammers have 
relentlessly sent hundreds and thousands of spam e-mails to people who 
have explicitly said they do not want spam.
  I believe that it will work. I know that the FTC has some doubts. 
Although, fortunately, they now say it is technically feasible, and 
they are not worried about the list being stolen, they are worried 
about the evidence.
  My answer to the FTC: Try it. We do not have anything better. It is 
not going to solve everything, but it is the best tool we have.
  When they come back to us in 6 months with their proposal, which they 
must do under this legislation, I have been assured by both Chairman 
McCain and Ranking Member Hollings, as well as Senators Wyden and 
Burns, that we will make sure they implement it. We will either do it 
statutorily or by pressure from the appropriators and others.
  So the FTC may disagree with the vast majority of Americans and the 
unanimity of the Congress--I guess unanimous in the Senate, not quite 
in the House--but we are going to make this No Spam Registry a reality 
within a year.
  So the bottom line is simple: For the first time there is some light 
at the end of the tunnel in the fight against spam. This legislation--
not a panacea--will greatly reduce the burden of spam, the difficulty 
of spam, and the pornographic aspects of spam.
  So again, I thank all of my colleagues in the Senate in letting this 
legislation go through. Again, it is a happy Thanksgiving to computer 
users everywhere.
  I thank my colleagues from Montana and Oregon for their leadership. I 
thank Senators McCain and Hollings, as chairman and ranking member of 
the committee, for their support.
  When the industry groups tried to rip the registry out of the 
legislation, these folks stood firm, the Senate stood firm, and that is 
why we have it in here today.
  With that, Mr. President, let me just conclude by wishing you, my 
colleagues from Maine and Oregon, and all of my colleagues, and all 
those who work here, a very happy Thanksgiving.
  For me, God has given me much to be thankful for, and I will dwell on 
that over the next few days. I hope everyone here feels the same way 
about their fortune and good fortune.
  With that, I yield the floor.


                         anti-span legislation

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I would like to engage the gentleman from 
Oregon, Mr. Wyden, in a colloquy regarding some details of the anti-
spam legislation approved by the Senate. We have worked tirelessly on 
S. 877, and it is important to ensure that spammers cannot get around 
the definitions of electronic mail address and electronic mail message 
that will be regulated under this law. The definitions in the bill 
require electronic mail addresses to contain a domain part. This 
requirement is important to make sure we only capture e-mail and do not 
regulate other communications platforms, such as Instant Messaging. 
However, I want to be clear that the intent of Congress is to capture 
e-mail messages as that term is commonly understood. This includes e-
mail messages sent within the same domain that may not actually display 
the domain part of the e-mail address.
  Mr. WYDEN. I thank the gentleman from Montana for raising this 
important issue. Yes, the intent of S. 877 is to capture all e-mail 
messages as that term is commonly understood. This includes e-mail 
messages where the domain part of the address may not be displayed. 
That is why the bill's definition of e-mail address, in referring to 
the domain part, contains the phrase ``whether or not displayed.'' We 
certainly do not want to create any loopholes that spammers could 
potentially exploit and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify this 
point.
  Mr. BURNS. I would like to flag one other aspect of the bill. Under 
section 6, the FTC can bring enforcement actions against merchants 
whose products are promoted in spam e-mails, even if the merchant is 
not the spammer. Isn't that correct?
  Mr. WYDEN. I agree with the Senator.
  Mr. BURNS. But isn't it also true that section 5 can be used against 
merchants whose products are promoted in spam e-mails? Can't the FTC, 
State A.G.s, and Internet Service Providers bring actions under section 
5 against parties who aren't themselves spamming, but rather hire 
spammers to promote their products or services?
  Mr. WYDEN. Absolutely. The bill's definition of ``initiate'' makes 
that clear, because it applies not only to the spammer that originates 
the actual e-mail, but also to a party who has hired or otherwise 
induced the spammer to send the e-mail on its behalf. If the e-mail 
message violates the bill, both parties would be on the hook under 
section 5, and enforcement would be possible against both or either 
parties.
  Mr. BURNS. That confirms my understanding. So what is different about 
section 6, as I understand it, is that section 6 does not require any 
showing that the merchant actually hired or induced the spammer to send 
the spam. In other words, if the spammer is hard to find and his 
contractual relationship with the merchant has been obscured by under-
the-table dealings, the FTC doesn't have to spend time and effort 
trying to prove the relationship.
  Mr. WYDEN. I share the Senator's understanding of how section 6 
differs from the provisions of section 5. I would only add that the 
drafters considered which parties should have the discretion to enforce 
the bill in the manner set forth in section 6, and decided that section 
6 should be enforced by the FTC only.
  Mr. BURNS. I thank my colleague from Oregon.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate is passing 
legislation to help staunch the torrent of unwanted commercial e-mail, 
commonly known as spam. During the past year, I worked closely with 
Senator Hatch and other members of the Judiciary Committee to craft 
criminal penalties for a variety of spammer tactics. Those penalties, 
which we introduced in June as part of the Criminal Spam Act, S. 1293, 
are included in the broader anti-spam legislation that we pass today. 
The bill will now go back to the House of Representatives for final 
approval, and then to the President for signing.
  Spam is much more than a technological nuisance. In the past few 
years, it has become a serious and growing problem that threatens to 
undermine the vast potential of the Internet.
  Businesses and individuals currently wade through tremendous amounts 
of spam in order to access e-mail that is of relevance to them--and 
this is after Internet Service Providers, businesses, and individuals 
have spent time and in some cases enormous amounts of money blocking a 
large percentage of spam from reaching its intended recipients.
  In my home State of Vermont, one legislator recently found that two-
thirds of the 96 e-mails in his inbox were spam. And this occurred 
after the legislature had installed new spam-blocking software on its 
computer system that seemed to be catching 80 percent of the spam. The 
assistant attorney general in Vermont was forced to suggest to computer 
users the following means to avoid these unsolicited commercial e-
mails: ``It's very bad to reply, even to say don't send anymore. It 
tells the spammer they have a live address . . . The best thing you can 
do is just keep deleting them. If it gets really bad, you may have to 
change your address.'' This experience is echoed nationwide.
  E-mail users are having the online equivalent of the experience of 
the woman in the Monty Python skit, who seeks to order a Spam-free 
breakfast at a restaurant. Try as she might, she cannot get the 
waitress to bring her the meal she desires. Every dish in the

[[Page S15946]]

restaurant comes with Spam; it is just a matter of how much. There is 
``egg, bacon and Spam''; ``egg, bacon, sausage and Spam''; ``Spam, 
bacon, sausage and Spam''; ``Spam, egg, Spam, Spam, bacon and Spam''; 
``Spam, sausage, Spam, Spam, Spam, bacon, Spam, tomato and Spam''; and 
so on. Exasperated, the woman finally cries out: ``I don't like Spam! . 
. . I don't want ANY Spam!''
  Individuals and businesses are understandably reacting similarly to 
electronic spam. A Harris poll taken late last year found that 80 
percent of respondents view spam as ``very annoying,'' and fully 74 
percent of respondents favor making mass spamming illegal. Earlier this 
month, more than three out of four people surveyed by Yahoo! Mail said 
it was ``less aggravating to clean a toilet'' than to sort through 
spam. Americans are fed up.
  Some 30 States now have anti-spam laws, but the globe-hopping nature 
of e-mail makes these laws difficult to enforce. Technology will 
undoubtedly play a key role in fighting spam, but a technological 
solution to the problem is not likely in the foreseeable future. ISPs 
block billions of unwanted e-mails each day, but spammers are winning 
the battle.
  Millions of unwanted, unsolicited commercial e-mails are received by 
American businesses and individuals each day, despite their own, 
additional filtering efforts. Ferris Research has estimated that spam 
costs U.S. firms $8.9 billion annually in lost worker productivity, 
consumption of bandwidth, and the use of technical support to configure 
and run spam filters and provide helpdesk support for spam recipients.
  The costs of spam are significant to individuals as well, including 
time spent identifying and deleting spam, inadvertently opening spam, 
installing and maintaining anti-spam filters, tracking down legitimate 
messages mistakenly deleted by spam filters, and paying for the ISP's 
blocking efforts.
  And there are other prominent and equally important costs of spam. It 
may introduce viruses, worms, and ``Trojan horse'' programs--that is, 
programs that unsuspecting users download onto their computers that are 
designed to take control of those computers--into personal and business 
computer systems, including those that support our national 
infrastructure.
  Spammers are constantly in need of new machines through which to 
route their garbage e-mail, and a virus makes a perfect delivery 
mechanism for the engine they use for their mass mailings. Some 
analysts said the SoBigF virus may have been created with a more 
malicious intent than most viruses, and may even be linked to spam e-
mail schemes that could be a source of cash for those involved in the 
scheme.
  The interconnection between computer viruses and spam is readily 
apparent: Both flood the Internet in an attempt to force a message on 
people who would not otherwise choose to receive it. Criminal laws I 
wrote prohibiting the former have been invoked and enforced from the 
time they were passed. It is the latter dilemma we must now confront.
  Spam is also fertile ground for deceptive trade practices. The FTC 
has estimated that 90 percent of the spam involving investment and 
business opportunities, and nearly half of the spam advertising health 
products and services, and travel and leisure, contains false or 
misleading information.
  This rampant deception has the potential to undermine Americans' 
trust of valid information on the Internet. Indeed, it has already 
caused some Americans to refrain from using the Internet to the extent 
they otherwise would. For example, some have chosen not to participate 
in public discussion forums, and are hesitant to provide their 
addresses in legitimate business transactions, for fear that their e-
mail addresses will be harvested for junk e-mail lists. And they are 
right to be concerned. The FTC found spam arriving at its computer 
system just 9 minutes after posting an e-mail address in an online chat 
room.
  I have often said that Congress must exercise great caution when 
regulating in cyberspace. Any legislative solution to spam must tread 
carefully to ensure that we do not impede or stifle the free flow of 
information on the Internet. The United States is the birthplace of the 
Internet, and the whole world watches whenever we decide to regulate 
it. Whenever we choose to intervene in the Internet with Government 
action, we must act carefully, prudently, and knowledgeably, keeping in 
mind the implications of what we do and how we do it. And we must not 
forget that spam, like more traditional forms of commercial speech, is 
protected by the first amendment.
  At the same time, we must not allow spam to result in the ``virtual 
death'' of the Internet, as one Vermont newspaper put it.
  The Internet is a valuable asset to our Nation, to our economy, and 
to the lives of Americans, and we should act prudently to secure its 
continued viability and vitality.
  On June 19 of this year, Senator Hatch and I introduced S. 1293, the 
Criminal Spam Act, together with several of our colleagues on the 
Judiciary Committee. On September 25, the Committee unanimously voted 
to report S. 1293 to the floor. On October 22, the Senate unanimously 
adopted the criminal provisions of the bill as an amendment to S. 877, 
the CAN SPAM Act. Today, the Senate is passing these same criminal 
provisions as section 4 of a modified version of S. 877, as passed by 
the House last week.
  The Hatch-Leahy criminal provisions prohibit five principal 
techniques that spammers use to evade filtering software and hide their 
trails.
  First, our legislation prohibits hacking into another person's 
computer system and sending bulk spam from or through that system. This 
criminalizes the common spammer technique of obtaining access to other 
people's e-mail accounts on an ISP's e-mail network, whether by 
password theft or by inserting a Trojan horse to send bulk spam.
  Second, our legislation prohibits using a computer system that the 
owner makes available for other purposes as a conduit for bulk spam, 
with the intent of deceiving recipients as to the spam's origins. This 
prohibition criminalizes another common spammer technique--the abuse of 
third parties' ``open'' servers, such as e-mail servers that have the 
capability to relay mail, or Web proxy servers that have the ability to 
generate ``form'' mail.
  Spammers commandeer these servers to send bulk commercial e-mail 
without the server owner's knowledge, either by ``relaying'' their e-
mail through an ``open'' e-mail server, or by abusing an ``open'' Web 
proxy server's capability to generate form e-mails as a means to 
originate spam, thereby exceeding the owner's authorization for use of 
that e-mail or Web server. In some instances the hijacked servers are 
even completely shut down as a result of tens of thousands of 
undeliverable messages generated from the spammer's e-mail list.
  The legislation's third prohibition targets another way that outlaw 
spammers evade ISP filters: Falsifying the ``header information'' that 
accompanies every e-mail, and sending bulk spam containing that fake 
header information. More specifically, the legislation prohibits 
forging information regarding the origin of the e-mail message, and the 
route through which the message attempted to penetrate the ISP filters.
  At the suggestion of the Department of Justice, this third offense 
has been amended since the Senate last considered it to require a 
showing of materiality. This means the Government must prove that the 
header information was altered or concealed in a manner that would 
impair the ability of a recipient of the message, an Internet access 
service processing the message on behalf of a recipient, a person 
alleging a violation of this title, or a law enforcement agency, to 
identify, locate, or respond to the person who initiated the e-mail or 
to investigate the alleged violation.
  Fourth, the Hatch-Leahy legislation prohibits registering 
for multiple e-mail accounts or Internet domain names using false 
identities, and sending bulk e-mail from those accounts or domains. 
This provision targets deceptive ``account churning,'' a common outlaw 
spammer technique that works as follows. The spammer registers--usually 
by means of an automatic computer program--for large numbers of e-mail 
accounts or domain names, using false registration information, then 
sends bulk spam from one account or

[[Page S15947]]

domain after another. This technique stays ahead of ISP filters by 
hiding the source, size, and scope of the sender's mailings, and 
prevents the e-mail account provider or domain name registrar from 
identifying the registrant as a spammer and denying his registration 
request. Falsifying registration information for domain names also 
violates a basic contractual requirement for domain name registration 
falsification. As with the last offense, this offense now requires that 
the registration information be falsified ``materially.''

  Fifth and finally, our legislation addresses a major hacker spammer 
technique for hiding identity that is a common and pernicious 
alternative to domain name registration--hijacking unused expanses of 
Internet address space and using them as launch pads for junk e-mail. 
Hijacking Internet Protocol--IP--addresses is not difficult: Spammers 
simply falsely assert that they have the right to use a block of IP 
addresses, and obtain an Internet connection for those addresses. 
Hiding behind those addresses, they can then send vast amounts of spam 
that is extremely difficult to trace.
  Penalties for violations of these new criminal prohibitions are tough 
but measured. Recidivists and those who send spam in furtherance of 
another felony may be imprisoned for up to 5 years. Large-volume 
spammers, those who hack into another person's computer system to send 
bulk spam, and spam ``kingpins'' who use others to operate their 
spamming operations may be imprisoned for up to 3 years. Other 
offenders may be fined and imprisoned for no more than one year. 
Convicted offenders are also subject to forfeiture of proceeds and 
instrumentalities of the offense.
  In addition to these penalties, the Hatch-Leahy legislation directs 
the Sentencing Commission to consider providing sentencing enhancements 
for those convicted of the new criminal provisions who obtained e-mail 
addresses through improper means, such as harvesting, and those who 
knowingly sent spam containing or advertising a falsely registered 
Internet domain name. We have also worked with Senator Nelson on 
language directing the Sentencing Commission to consider enhancements 
for those who commit other crimes that are facilitated by the sending 
of spam.
  I should note that the Criminal Spam Act, from which these provisions 
are taken, enjoys broad support from ISPs, direct marketers, consumer 
groups, and civil liberties groups alike. Again, the purpose of these 
criminal provisions is to deter the most pernicious and unscrupulous 
types of spammers--those who use trickery and deception to induce 
others to relay and view their messages. Ridding America's inboxes of 
deceptively delivered spam will help clear electronic channels for 
Internet users from coast-to-coast. But it is not a cure-all for the 
spam pandemic.
  The fundamental problem inherent to spam--its sheer volume--may well 
persist even in the absence of fraudulent routing information and false 
identities. In a recent survey, 82 percent of respondents considered 
unsolicited bulk e-mail, even from legitimate businesses, to be 
unwelcome spam. Given this public opinion, and in light of the fact 
that spam is, in essence, cost-shifted advertising, we need to take a 
more comprehensive approach to our fight against spam.
  While I am generally supportive of the CAN SPAM Act, it does raise 
some concerns. For one thing, it may not be tough enough to do the job.
  The bill takes an ``opt out'' approach to spam--that is, it requires 
all commercial e-mail to include an ``opt out'' mechanism, by which e-
mail recipients may opt out of receiving further unwanted spam. My 
concern is that this approach authorizes spammers to send at least one 
piece of spam to each e-mail address in their database, while placing 
the burden on e-mail recipients to respond. People who receive dozens, 
even hundreds, of unwanted e-mails each day may have little time or 
energy for anything other than opting-out from unwanted spam. Meantime, 
CAN SPAM will sweep away dozens of State anti-spam laws, including some 
that were substantially more restrictive.
  I am also troubled by the two labeling requirement in the CAN SPAM 
Act. The first makes it unlawful to send an unsolicited commercial e-
mail message unless it provides, among other things, ``clear and 
conspicuous identification that the message is an advertisement or 
solicitation,'' and ``a valid physical postal address of the sender.'' 
The second--added as a floor amendment during Senate consideration of 
the bill in October--requires ``warning labels'' on any commercial e-
mail that includes ``sexually oriented material.''
  While we all want to curb spam and protect our children from 
inappropriate material, there are important first amendment concerns to 
regulating commercial e-mail in ways that require specific labels on 
protected speech. Such requirements inhibit both the speaker's right to 
express and the listener's right to access constitutionally protected 
material.
  In addition, the bill's definition of ``sexually oriented material'' 
as any material that ``depicts'' sexually explicit conduct seems overly 
broad. According to Webster's dictionary, ``depict'' may mean either to 
represent by a picture or to describe in words. It is my hope that the 
FTC, which has some rulemaking authority with respect to this labeling 
requirement, will clarify that it applies to ``visual'' depictions 
only.
  The CAN SPAM Act may not be perfect, but it is a serious effort to 
address a difficult and urgent problem. I support its passage today, 
and commend the bipartisanship that was needed to get this done.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I rise today to support the final passage 
of the CAN-SPAM bill, which will help to stem the tide of junk e-mail 
that is flooding the Nation's inboxes. I want to specifically thank my 
colleague Senator Wyden, the coauthor of the bill, who has been working 
tirelessly on this issue for years. Thanks to discussions over the past 
few days, many of the already-strong proconsumer provisions in CAN-SPAM 
have been enhanced. The bill the Senate considers today contains 
substantial statutory damages for spammers and additional notice 
requirements on commercial e-mail.
  The extent of bipartisan cooperation on this issue is no surprise 
given the deluge of spam consumers face in their inboxes everyday. The 
costs to businesses and individuals are escalating and wide ranging. 
Businesses lose money when employees take more and more time to wade 
through their e-mails. Servers all over the country have difficulty 
blocking spam, all while spammers work to find more and more ways to 
circumvent the latest software, server, or individual blocking systems.
  Spam is particularly harmful to rural areas. Because of the vast 
distances in Montana, many of my constituents are forced to pay long 
distance charges for their time on the Internet. Spam makes it nearly 
impossible for those in rural America to realize the tremendous 
economic and educational benefits of the online era.
  The CAN-SPAM bill empowers consumers and grants additional 
enforcement authority to the Federal Trade Commission to take action 
against spammers. The bill requires the senders of commercial e-mail to 
include a clear ``opt-out'' mechanism to allow consumers to be removed 
from mass e-mail lists. This ``opt-out'' must also be clearly described 
in the e-mail itself, so that users of e-mail are not forced to sift 
through pages of legalese to determine where they can stop unwanted e-
mail.
  The senders of commercial e-mail must also provide a valid physical 
postal address so that they are not able to hide their identities. 
Finally, e-mail marketers must include notice that the e-mail is an 
advertisement. Simply put, the CAN-SPAM bill finally gives consumers a 
measure of control over their inboxes.
  In cases where e-mail marketers don't comply with the CAN-SPAM bill, 
the penalties are severe. Spammers are on the hook for damages up to 
$250 per spam e-mail with a cap of $2 million. This already high 
penalty can be tripled if particularly unethical methods are used, such 
as ``computer hijacking'' to send spam by taking control of the 
computers of legitimate users without their knowledge or for harvesting 
addresses from legitimate Web sites to send spam. For criminal spammers 
who try to hide their identities by using false header information, 
damages are not capped.

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  The CAN-SPAM bill also includes enhanced enforcement authority for 
the FTC to close possible loopholes for spammers and to keep up with 
technological developments. Granting the Commission the ability to keep 
pace with the new techniques of spammers is essential because it has 
become clear in recent years that these criminals are growing 
increasingly sophisticated in their methods.
  The passage of CAN-SPAM today will help to stem the tide of the toxic 
sea of spam. Clearly, consumers have been demanding control over their 
e-mail inboxes and the passage of CAN-SPAM today will give consumers a 
key victory in the battle against criminal spammers.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cornyn). The Senator from Maine.
  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, let me first return the Thanksgiving 
greetings of my colleagues. I hope that they, too, are able to have a 
happy holiday with their families and friends.

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