MediaTel

The ASA has stepped up its fight against spam with the launch of a new set of guidelines designed to help consumers reduce the amount of unsolicited commercial emails they receive.

The guidelines have been issued in response to the growing problem of spam, which now accounts for around 40% of global messaging traffic, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.

The ASA has joined a host of other advertising and consumer groups in labelling spam an "increasing nuisance" that clogs up in-boxes and provides an unwanted distraction from legitimate emails and relevant commercial messages.

To help limit the number of spam messages that consumers receive, the ASA recommends users avoid displaying their email addresses online; read privacy policies when signing up for services; never respond to spam messages and use unique and unusual email addresses where possible.

Commenting on the initiative, Christopher Graham, director general of the ASA, said: "These guidelines will help consumers to protect themselves from unwanted commercial e-mails sent within the UK. However, many of the unwanted emails clogging up the nation's in boxes come from outside the EU and from advertisers whose real identities are unclear. This is the real spam problem. Together, self help and self-regulation offer a way forward, but the ASA does not claim to have all the answers."

The publication of the guidelines has been welcomed by chief executive of the IAB and head of the Spam Busting Task Force, Danny Meadows-Klue, who added: "We're all fed up with spam and now its time to fight back."

The Government recently launched an initiative to crackdown on "the curse of the internet" and strengthen privacy rights for electronic communications by making advertisers gain prior consent before sending commercial emails to consumers (see Government To Crack Down On 'Curse Of Internet').

Last month the IPA's director general, Hamish Pringle, warned direct marketers to stop abusing interactive media, or face the wrath of consumers. In a keynote speech at the recent IDM/PM Symposium, Pringle described email and SMS as the "most intrusive" direct marketing tools and said they could be potentially damaging to the industry (see IPA Warns Direct Marketers Against Intrusive Campaigns).

ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.uk

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