The FTC recently released a report called "Subject Line Labeling as a Weapon Against Spam: A CAN-SPAM Report to Congress." The FTC was looking at the idea of having spammers put something like "ADV:" in the subject line of the unsolicited commercial email (UCE) they spew out. That way, the American people would know that an email touting "highest quality medds at lowest price" was an advertisement, as opposed to a news flash.
Thankfully, reason won out:
Experience with subject line labeling requirements in the states and in other countries does not support the notion that such requirements are an effective means of reducing spam through more efficient sorting or filtering. Indeed, spam filters widely available at little or no cost (through ISPs or commercial companies) more effectively empower consumers to set individualized email preferences to reduce unwanted UCE from both spammers and legitimate marketers.
And market forces, rather than regulation, are deemed better able to manage the issue:
The Commission continues to believe that emphasis should be placed on encouraging industry to develop alternatives, such as e-mail authentication, in lieu of a requirement for subject line labeling.
Whew!
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