Exciting times in Canada (cont’d) – Bill C-27 is now Bill C-28!

For those of you who were reading back in the fall, you might remember that we talked a little about Bill C-27, the Electronic Commerce Protection Act, a bill under review in Canada to deal with the issues of spam, phishing, spyware and malware. And now, an update!

Bill C-27: Electronic Commerce Protection Act is now Bill C-28: Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act. It was introduced in the House of Commons on May 25, 2010 and has passed first reading. To review the new bill click here.

The new act would establish a regulatory framework to protect electronic commerce in Canada and would:

• address unsolicited commercial electronic mail (spam) by prohibiting the sending of commercial electronic messages without consent;
• prohibit detrimental practices to electronic commerce, protect the integrity of transmission data and prohibit the installation of computer programs without consent in the course of commercial activity;
• prohibit false or misleading commercial representations online;
• prohibit the collection of personal information via unlawful access to computer systems and the unauthorized compiling or supplying of lists of electronic addresses;
• provide for a private right of action for businesses and consumers;
• provide for extended liability (follow the money);
• allow the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and Competition Tribunal Canada to impose administrative monetary penalties on those who violate the respective Acts;
• allow for the international sharing of information and evidence to pursue spammers outside of Canada with our global partners.

If you would like to stay informed on the progress of this Bill and want to encourage the adoption of important anti-spam laws like this, feel free to sign up with CAUCE (The Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email) here.

Stay tuned… and bye for now,

Kevin