Sens. Frank Murkowski (R-AK) and Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) introduced the Inbox Privacy Act last week, which requires e-mail marketers to include their correct name, address, Internet address and telephone number in all unsolicited bulk e-mail they send.
The bill, S.759, would also require consumers, domain-name owners and ISPs to post “no spam” notices and request to be taken off commercial e-mail lists. The bill will allow ISP customers to receive transmissions of the unsolicited commercial e-mail. ISPs must maintain a list of these opt-in customers and register them with the Federal Trade Commission, which under the bill would publish links to the lists on its Web site.
According to Murkowski, the most significant difference between this legislation and last year's — which he co-wrote and was not passed by Congress — is the addition of a domain-wide opt-out system that allows Internet domain owners to put up an electronic stop sign to signify their desire to not receive unsolicited commercial e-mail to addresses served by their domain.
