15 USC 7703 - Prohibition against predatory and abusive commercial e-mail

U.S Code last checked for updates: Nov 22, 2024

§ 7703.

Prohibition against predatory and abusive commercial e-mail

(a)

Omitted

(b)

United States Sentencing Commission

(1)

Directive

(2)

Requirements

In carrying out this subsection, the Sentencing Commission shall consider providing sentencing enhancements for—

(A)

those convicted under section 1037 of title 18 who—

(i)

obtained electronic mail addresses through improper means, including—

(I)

harvesting electronic mail addresses of the users of a website, proprietary service, or other online public forum operated by another person, without the authorization of such person; and

(II)

randomly generating electronic mail addresses by computer; or

(ii)

knew that the commercial electronic mail messages involved in the offense contained or advertised an Internet domain for which the registrant of the domain had provided false registration information; and

(B)

those convicted of other offenses, including offenses involving fraud, identity theft, obscenity, child pornography, and the sexual exploitation of children, if such offenses involved the sending of large quantities of electronic mail.

(c)

Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that—

(1)

Spam has become the method of choice for those who distribute pornography, perpetrate fraudulent schemes, and introduce viruses, worms, and Trojan horses into personal and business computer systems; and

(2)

the Department of Justice should use all existing law enforcement tools to investigate and prosecute those who send bulk commercial e-mail to facilitate the commission of Federal crimes, including the tools contained in chapters 47 and 63 of title 18 (relating to fraud and false statements); chapter 71 of title 18 (relating to obscenity); chapter 110 of title 18 (relating to the sexual exploitation of children); and chapter 95 of title 18 (relating to racketeering), as appropriate.

(Pub. L. 108–187, § 4, Dec. 16, 2003, 117 Stat. 2703.)

cite as: 15 USC 7703