Switzerland Passes Legislation To Penalise Spam

Transmitting unsolicited mail from Switzerland becomes a penal crime from April 29, 2007, when the new statute law gets enforced, however the stream of spam is not likely to cease.

As indicated by a latest study, a rising number of web-based financial attacks have been registered in Switzerland, especially phishing to secure personal data remotely, as per the biannual report of the government's Reporting and Analysis Center for Information Assurance (Melani) issued on April 30, 2007.

Hardly one per cent of spam mails received in Switzerland originate from the same country and the law handles just these unsolicited emails. In spite of this drawback, Federal Communications Office's deputy director, Peter Fischer, informed swissinfo he was pleased with the new legislation, accounts the April 30, 2007 issue of NZZ Online.

"Though the spam is an occurrence not restricted to Switzerland alone, but the steps adopted are optimal," stated Fischer in a message to swissinfo.

The study observes that in 2006 Internet related offences had clearly evolved into "common offense" worldwide, and skilled cyber-terrorists were being enlisted in growing numbers.

According to Coordination Unit for Cybercrime Control's (CYCO) chief, Marc Henauer, "it's just the beginning", informs the NZZ Online on 30th April 2007. The criminal status given to spamming will help to stop Switzerland from becoming a spammers' sanctuary, Henauer appends.

The statute law, which puts Switzerland on par with the U.S. and the European Community, conceives of up to three years in imprisonment and penalties totaling to SFr100,000 ($82,566) for criminals.

Almost 80% of the total messages are spam and billions of these spam emails are conveyed each day worldwide. Spam comprises promotion for all that's conceivable: from herbal cures for dysfunctional erection to adult and child erotica.

Henauer in another report to swissinfo, issued on May 1, 2007, alleged that computer offenses in Switzerland were comparable to other countries. "It's perhaps slightly better than in other countries. Switzerland is not an isolated place and the cyberspace has provided it with a global span. Thus if there is an upsurge in strikes on unidentified number of victims, it will also impact Switzerland," he stated.

Related article: Switzerland Received The Highest Volume of Spam Mail in July 2008

» SPAMfighter News - 5/7/2007