Editorial: Private efforts offer hope in spam wars

Monday, May 5, 2003 | 8:50 a.m.

An article in Sunday's New York Times dashed some cold water on the hopes and dreams of e-mail users who are inundated with those unsolicited come-ons known as spam. It noted anti-spam laws, including the one just passed in Virginia that can land a spammer in prison and allows authorities to seize all assets derived from spamming. And it noted the entry of the Federal Trade Commission into the war on spam. But then the article explained how these billions of messages plaguing the world are laundered through intricate networks of international servers, making it either impossible, or impossibly time consuming, to trace even one spam back to its original sender, who, of course, is using a false name. The article concluded: "All of which makes you wonder. What can a Virginia law or even the most draconian federal legislation really do?"

The writer's lack of faith in a government solution is probably well placed. The Internet is a global medium, exceeding the reach of state and even federal laws. It's sobering to realize the limitations of government in trying to stop a practice that costs time and money and which someday soon might bring e-mail to a virtual standstill. This leaves a private, technical solution as the most realistic hope for relief. The article also mentioned that Microsoft, America Online and Yahoo -- normally fierce competitors -- are collaborating in a special project to rescue their customers from spam. These giants of the industry recognize the need to share their expertise in order to head off the threat to all of them. We're hoping they prevail, so that e-mailers can shake off that cold water and get back to work.