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…