Jul 2 2004
A ground breaking international deal to tackle the global menace of spam has been agreed between the UK, United States and Australia, Communications Minister Stephen Timms announced today.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to deal with the problem of spam as it increasingly threatens the growth of the internet and the information society as a whole. It will mean for the first time that:

* Enforcement authorities in the UK, United States and Australia will work together to investigate spammers in those countries; * enforcement authorities across all three countries will take part in joint training initiatives to combat spam;
* international solutions and strengthening capabilities will be developed to trace and convict spammers; and
* cross border enforcement against spammers will take effect.

Communications Minister Stephen Timms said:

"With most spam coming from outside the UK this deal forges our individual initiatives together and puts the fight against spam on a global footing.

"It's not going to solve spam overnight but it is going to help. It reinforces our determination to tackle spam with a combination of government and industry initiatives, technical solutions, and user awareness.

"Our countries have a long history of cooperation, together we aim to keep the Internet a safe and enjoyable community for all users. Our countries will not be havens for spammers, and we are calling on other countries to join us in this initiative."

The MoU will be followed up by the UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) which will gather consumer protection regulators from around 30 countries and will be hosting a summit in London on October 11, focussing on spam enforcement issues, and training regulators in locating and investigating spammers.

Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, Timothy J. Muris said:

"Illegal spam does not respect national boundaries,"

"This agreement is an important next step to help law enforcers on three continents leverage resources to combat illegal spam."

Australia's Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, the Hon Daryl Williams AM QC MP, welcomed the signing of the MoU, saying that the agreement between anti-spam enforcement agencies will maximise their effectiveness in fighting cross-border spam.

Mr Williams said:
"This MoU supports Australia's strategy to pursue bilateral and multilateral agreements against spam.
"It gives the welcome message that the United States and United Kingdom, like Australia, regard spam as a serious problem, and want to take practical action to reduce that problem."

John Vickers, OFT Chairman, said:

"Spam is causing growing email congestion and is a vehicle for scams against the public. Our partnership with Australia and the US strengthens our efforts to combat spam problems for consumers, which will be a high priority of the OFT's forthcoming Presidency of ICPEN."