Finally Bill C-28 - Canada's anti-spam / online protection act - is passed
(December 16, 2010)


Until today, Canada was the only G8 nation to NOT have an anti-spam law. The law, which I originally wrote about back in May 2009, got lost in the conservative government's mess of prorogation but finally came back to the floor in May of this year. Oddly, the lawmakers couldn't agree on a name for the law, so they passed it without one.

While the new law will not eliminate the multitude of bites of junk, malware and phishing that everyone using the Internet is subject to, it does provide for some pretty hefty fines for those who are convicted of offense. Most spam comes from botnets that are not originating within Canada. Though that's not to say that our computers aren't involved at all.

All in all, this law will probably have little effect on the Internet world. With any luck it will keep the companies who do send mass-mailings a little more honest and open about what they have the right to send and to whom. Hopefully, we'll have seen the end of companies selling or using worthless generic lists. You'll need to be 100% certain that you have the right to send that email before you hit "SEND". Publishers will now be required to keep track of how someone gets onto their lists as the weight of proof will lay with them. 

For more details on the law, check out my older post about the very hefty fines that Bill C-28 can impose on offenders.

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