Comments:

The problem with Spam is not the spammer the problem is with the companies that sell the email addresses to the spammers and then complain that spam is ruining their ability to use email. Eighty percent of my email is spam mail and it is very costly to our company. Make a rule that all companies selling their email address must be able to do so only when they have that individual person's written permission, make it an individual written permission that discloses to the individual that it will be sold to spammers ( this will insure follow up in case of a complain). Then the buyer of the email address is made to fully disclose to the seller of the email addresses all the mailing addresses that they would use to distribute their spams. These email addresses must then be submitted to an archive, by the seller of the emails, for research purposes when there is a complain. This method needless to say will not stop the unscrupulous spammers but it will sure cut into future increases of spam without permission from the holder of an individual email address. Further if the company advertising with a spammer is also held to the same standards the spammer is held to as in agency law I believe that the bonified companies would be more apt to be careful as to who they choose to advertise through.