COMMITTEE TAKES CUE FROM MICROSOFT, KILLS NATION'S TOUGHEST ANTI-SPAM PROPOSAL
SACRAMENTO - Urged on by Microsoft, the Assembly Business & Professions Committee today unceremoniously killed SB 12 (Bowen), a measure to create the country's toughest anti-spam law by requiring advertisers to get permission from computer users before sending them unsolicited ads ...
'Does anyone other than the eight members of this committee who either voted 'no' or took a walk on the bill really believe Microsoft has any interest in getting rid of spam?,' wondered California State Senator Debra Bowen (D-Redondo Beach), the author of SB 12, following the bill's defeat. 'Trusting Microsoft to protect computer users from spam is like putting telemarketers in charge of the do-not-call list. Microsoft uses a megaphone to tell everyone how much it hates spam at the same time it's working overtime to kill truly tough anti-spam laws. Why? Microsoft doesn't want to ban spam, it wants to decide what's 'legitimate' or 'acceptable' unsolicited commercial advertising so it can turn around and license those e-mail messages and charge those advertisers a fee to wheel their spam into your e-mail inbox without your permission.'
wow ;) She's not pulling any punches there...