Regulations of Unsolicited Commercial Email
Publication Date: October 2003
Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Author(s):
Research Area: Media, telecommunications, and information
Type:
Abstract:
Unsolicited commercial e-mail, also known as spam, has received increased legislative attention as consumer complaints about its intrusiveness and potential for perpetrating fraud have grown. While there are no federal laws specifically aimed at restricting or preventing the transmission of spam, there are statutes at both the federal and state level that may be used to recover damages associated with the transmission of unsolicited e-mail and combat the consumer fraud sometimes associated with such messages. This report provides an overview of federal and state statutes, and relevant case law, applicable to the transmission of unsolicited commercial e-mail. A brief summary of pending federal legislation, including S. 563, S. 877, S. 1052, S. 1231, S. 1293, S. 1327, H.R. 122, H.R. 1933, H.R. 2214, and H.R. 25 15, is also provided. The report will be updated as events warrant.
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing
- Agricultural economics and farm holdings (55)
- Agricultural extension, research, and technology (12)
- Agricultural population and workers (18)
- Agriculture and agricultural policy (114)
- Beverage industry (1)
- Crop management (30)
- Fiber industry (2)
- Fish industry (19)
- Forests and forest products industry (8)
- Fruit industry (3)
- Grain, seed, and nut industries (4)
- Livestock, meat, and animal products industry (49)
- Processed food industries (3)
- Tobacco industry (15)
- Vegetable industry (3)
- Banking and finance
- Banking operations and services (36)
- Banks and other financial institutions (31)
- Central banks (8)
- Commodity exchanges (8)
- Credit and loans (101)
- Currency (17)
- Financial instruments (6)
- Financial planning and risk (10)
- International banking and finance (79)
- International financial institutions (33)
- Investments and securities (28)
- Money and monetary policy (10)
- Personal finance and saving (75)
- Philanthropy and nonprofit sector (197)
- Public finance (552)
- Stock exchanges (9)
- Taxation and tax policy (636)
- Business
- Accounting (11)
- Acquisitions and mergers (7)
- Advertising and public relations (7)
- Business and business enterprises (14)
- Business and government (63)
- Business finance (26)
- Business operations and practices (25)
- Business organization, administration, and management (26)
- Entertainment business (1)
- Entrepreneurs, executives, and business personnel and occupations (12)
- Hospitality and tourism business (6)
- Insurance (51)
- Markets, marketing, and merchandising (13)
- Personal and housekeeping services (1)
- Real estate business (4)
- Retail business (2)
- Culture and religion
- Arts and arts policy (23)
- Calendars, special days, and ceremonies (12)
- Cultural heritage and preservation (122)
- Culture and civilization (37)
- Intellectual life (2)
- Language and languages (40)
- Literature (10)
- Multiculturalism and cultural relations (122)
- Museums, memorials, and monuments (16)
- Music (2)
- National characteristics (15)
- Religion and religious groups (2085)
- Symbols, emblems, and awards (11)
- Economics
- Education
- Adult, technical, and vocational education (119)
- Colleges and universities (214)
- Curriculum (125)
- Education (208)
- Education financing, facilities, and equipment (185)
- Education personnel and population (130)
- Education policy and planning (377)
- Educational psychology and learning ability (9)
- Information services and sources (69)
- Libraries (7)
- School administration (36)
- Schools (83)
- Statistics, research, and research methods and financing (62)
- Study abroad (57)
- Teaching methods (94)
- Energy
- Environment
- Animals (23)
- Buildings and structures (8)
- Ecology (10)
- Environmental policy (127)
- Forest management (28)
- Geography and cartography (2)
- Land resources and use (88)
- Mining and mineral resources (15)
- Natural disasters (78)
- Ocean and ocean resources (28)
- Parks, nature reserves, and open spaces (47)
- Pollution and environmental degradation (169)
- Radioactive and dangerous substances (59)
- Wastes and waste management (16)
- Water, waterways, and water management (152)
- Weather and climate (142)
- Government
- Central or federal government (100)
- Communism and socialism (8)
- Executive power (79)
- Foreign relations (904)
- Government agencies and bodies (103)
- Government employees (53)
- Intergovernmental relations (22)
- Internal security (371)
- Legislative power and procedure (396)
- Local and municipal government (71)
- Nation state (10)
- Public administration (63)
- Public finance (27)
- Public officials (47)
- Public policy (152)
- Public services and utilities (34)
- State or regional government (130)
- Health
- Dental health services (13)
- Diseases and disorders (277)
- Food and nutrition (109)
- Health care financing (993)
- Health care planning (476)
- Health promotion (123)
- Health services administration (577)
- Health services for adolescents (47)
- Health services for children (412)
- Health services for low income people (188)
- Health services for men (7)
- Health services for minorities (110)
- Health services for non-citizens (52)
- Health services for older people (184)
- Health services for the chronically ill (97)
- Health services for the disabled (43)
- Health services for the uninsured (212)
- Health services for women (78)
- Hospitals and other health care facilities (138)
- Licensing and regulation (66)
- Medical research and technology (216)
- Mental health (79)
- Pharmaceutical services (259)
- Physicians, nurses, and other health personnel (108)
- Preventive health services (89)
- Quality of health care (211)
- Tissue and organ procurement (3)
- Human rights
- International relations
- Justice
- Labor
- Law and ethics
- Administrative law (3)
- Civil law (19)
- Commercial law (10)
- Constitutional law (56)
- Corporations and securities law (18)
- Criminal law (42)
- Environmental law (9)
- Ethics (14)
- Family law (33)
- Health law (72)
- Immigration law (37)
- Intellectual property, copyright, patent, and trademark law (88)
- International law (24)
- Labor law (6)
- Law and jurisprudence (28)
- Liability, torts, and personal injury (36)
- Local government law (3)
- Maritime law (16)
- Military and martial law (23)
- Public law (2)
- Real estate and property law (14)
- Manufacturing and industry
- Appliance and furnishing industries (1)
- Automotive industry (20)
- Building and construction (7)
- Chemical industries (5)
- Clothing and textile industry (18)
- Computer and electronics industry (6)
- Industrial management, production, and productivity (10)
- Industrial materials (1)
- Industry and industrial policy (20)
- Machinery and equipment industry (1)
- Manufacturing and manufactured goods (8)
- Metals industry (13)
- Pharmaceutical industry (47)
- Media, telecommunications, and information
- Broadcasting (26)
- Communication systems (35)
- Electronic data processing, transmission, and retrieval (85)
- Film and video (15)
- Information policy (184)
- Journalism and the news (18)
- Mass media (25)
- Press (4)
- Print media and publishing (1)
- Radio (13)
- Telecommunications (49)
- Telephone (10)
- Television (54)
- Military and defense
- Politics
- Population and demographics
- Science and technology
- Social conditions
- Alcohol and drug addiction and trafficking (110)
- Associations and meetings (91)
- Communication (7)
- Community life and organization (299)
- Discrimination and affirmative action (71)
- History (75)
- Housing (308)
- Leisure, recreation, and hobbies (29)
- Marriage and family life (415)
- Poverty and homelessness (118)
- Psychology (39)
- Public welfare and social services (1279)
- Race relations (34)
- Rural conditions (13)
- Safety and security (123)
- Sex (43)
- Social conditions and problems (94)
- Social movements (12)
- Social policy (44)
- Social research (110)
- Social sciences and social scientists (3)
- Social status (16)
- Social values (98)
- Sports (7)
- Urban conditions (59)
- Volunteerism (84)
- Trade
- Transportation
- Air transport (77)
- Freight transport (3)
- Highways (22)
- Inland water transport (1)
- Mail and delivery service (17)
- Maritime industry and transport (19)
- Motor transport (1)
- Motor vehicles (13)
- Railroads and trains (25)
- Ships and boats (2)
- Traffic and traffic regulation (26)
- Transportation (6)
- Transportation policy and planning (49)
- Urban transport (15)