EU project
On September 26 th, 2005, the SPOTSPAM project contract with the EC started. It is a 24 month contract under the EC's Safer Internet Programme.
SPOTSPAM is a pilot project to draw up self-regulatory strategies which can help protect end users against spam. These self-regulatory strategies will be part of a range of measures - technical, legal, self-regulatory - taken by Internet Service Providers, by end-users or by regulators, used in combination to make them as effective as possible.
It is necessary to have mechanisms in place which facilitate effective counter-strategies especially when spam mails contain harmful or illegal content (e.g. indecent pictures or child abusive pictures), refer to such content, or when inappropriate e-mail communication is sent to youngsters. However, most spam cases have an international dimension and cross-border action can rarely be taken today due to a lack of international co-ordination.
SPOTSPAM aims at creating appropriate agreements between both private and public entities in several countries, to provide for effective evidence gathering and use of evidence when action is taken against spammers.
The project is made up of four modules.
- Module A Preparatory research
- Module B Memorandum of understanding on how to gather evidence of spam
- Module C Memorandum of understanding on how to respond to data requests / disclose information
- Module D Specification and implementation of a prototype database to support the co-operation and requirements reflected in Modules A-C
Consultation meetings will be held to give stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to the project. The main deliverables will be draft agreements on how to collect data, how to respond to data requests and the definition and implementation of a prototype database.
It is deemed useful to have an agreement signed by reporting points such as national spam boxes or anti-spam law enforcement authorities on how to gather information. The agreement should specify the format of the reports, give advice to those reporting spam, and specify the type of consent from those reporting spam and the technical and the security measures to be observed.
The reporting points may not necessarily run a national database and may only act as contact point in a specific country. Such particularities will be reflected in customised agreements.
In addition, a second set of agreements will be drafted dealing with the topic of how to respond to data requests.
The different target audiences are public authorities, hotlines dealing with reports on illegal online content, Internet Service Providers (e.g. for the purpose of notifying server operators of security holes so that the computers cannot be misused for the dissemination of spam) and all entities looking for additional evidence to make a successful court case against a spammer.
For further information please visit: http://europa.eu.int/saferinternet