Comments:

A do not email registry will not work. Because unscrupulous SPAMMERS will simply download the list and spam it. Similarly an 'opt out' system is flawed because over the years so many e-mail users have learned that all clicking on the opt--out link does is confirm your e-mail address to a spammer who then proceeds to sell your name and send you more spam. Across the various e-mail addresses I have, I have forwarded over 400 UCE reports since about January 16, 2004. That doesn't include the UCE that the spam filtering I have installed on my system automatically sent. That is just the 400 that haven't been caught yet. I do not see almost any of them complying with any aspect of the CAN-SPAM legislation - they are still forging headers, hijacking other people's computers, using dummy addresses, not including physical postal addresses, not including opt out links, not labeling their subjects accurately, not labeling the e-mail as Advertising, twisting the spellings of words that they know will be caught by spam filtering software (V I A G R A instead of VIAGRA, etc...). The law, to date, has been totally useless and a waste of time and effort. The government's apparent failure to do anything about this trend (other than watch it get worse) is pathetic. A law needs to be passed that allows individuals to sue spammers for substantial damages for UCE. Laws need to be passed that actually makes it a bad idea for a spammer to keep spamming. Then the laws need to be enforced. Users like me that have sent well over 400 reports across my various systems should be receiving some sort of feedback to our complaints.