Aussie U.N. official talks tough on spam

The United Nations has weighed into the debate over spam by warning spammers that measures will be introduced that will curtail their activities within two years.

Robert Horton, acting chairman of the Australian Communications Authority, and chair of the meeting of the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union (ITU), held this week in Geneva, said: "As regulators we should set a target of two years to bring spam under control. The world can't wait any longer than that."

Robert Shaw, Internet strategy expert with the ITU, added: "If we don't work together, we may see millions of people abandoning the Net entirely, out of frustration and disgust."

Horton was optimistic that the ITU meeting, in which 60 countries were taking part, would produce a draft agreement on how to collectively solve the problem.

"No one country can tackle this alone. It is an international threat and we must work together to defeat it."

The U.N.'s stance, while welcomed by the industry, is unlikely to have much impact on spammers in the short to medium term, with most industry observers agreeing that no one policy or piece of technology or legislation will remove the problem of spam, but a concerted, multi-faceted effort over a long period may bring the problem under control.

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