Statement by FTC's Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection Howard Beales on Petition to Issue New Spam Rules

The Federal Trade Commission today received a petition - jointly submitted by three consumer groups - to adopt rules governing the distribution of unsolicited commercial email, commonly known as spam. The proposal, which specifically addresses unfair and deceptive trade practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act, was submitted by The Telecommunications and Research Action Center, the National Consumers League, and Consumer Action.

The following is a statement from J. Howard Beales, III, Director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection:

"The FTC is concerned about the proliferation of spam affecting consumers and we look forward to reviewing the petition. In every spam proposal we have seen, vigorous law enforcement is key. We have brought numerous cases against deceptive and misleading spam practices, and that's exactly what we will continue to do. Consumers can help our law enforcement efforts by sending spam to our spam mailbox at uce@ftc.gov."

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint, or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.