Anti-spam directive labelled 'toothless'

Rules to block unsolicited emails won't help businesses, says vendor

A new spam-busting directive will have little impact on businesses plagued by unsolicited emails, according to security vendor CipherTrust.

But the vendor has claimed the directive creates a channel opportunity because VARs can urge customers to invest in anti-spam measures.

The EU Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications, which came into force on 11 December, demands that firms must obtain an individual's consent before using details they provide to send unsolicited direct marketing via email.

It also means the identity and address of the sender cannot be concealed, and users are told of any software tracking devices used to monitor or store information.

Marten Nelson, director business analysis and strategy at anti-virus vendor CipherTrust, said the directive in its current form benefits consumers rather than businesses.

"It is a very important piece of the puzzle to resolve spam. But the current legislation is toothless and doesn't address business users at all," he said.

"Spammers are typically unethical and won't care about legislation, but it is a huge problem in the business environment. Spam is an area where resellers can find significant new business opportunities in helping businesses get new email policies."

Nelson added that VARs which provide complete anti-spam services boast a strong differentiator from rivals. "Firms now have a duty of care to staff. It's in their interest to embrace an anti-spam policy," he said.

Clive Longbottom, service director at Quocirca, said: "This is not an anti-spam measure; it's a control of corporate marketing measures. Its aims are worthy, but this will not have an impact on those who are spamming from China, Korea or the US.

"The only way to deal with spam is at the point of receipt, but preferably at the ISP level rather than the end user. It is time for the channel to start pushing proven anti-spam measures."

However, the government has left it too late to deal with spam, Longbottom claimed. "It is now down to individuals to deal with spam. CipherTrust seems to be on the right track," he said.