Spamming is now a Crime in Virginia

The State of Virginia on Tuesday 29th April 2003 enacted the toughest anti-spam legislation of any US State so far, imposing harsh felony penalties for sending spam to computer users through deceptive means. Spammers who send Unsolicited Bulk Email to or from Virginia with a bogus return address, or via exploits such as stolen open proxies, now face criminal penalties, paying massive fines and spending up to five years in jail.

The new law would also empower officials to seize the assets of those convicted of sending deceptive bulk e-mail. Virginia Gov. Mark Warner (D) signed the new legislation at the Dulles-based headquarters of AOL, which has joined Microsoft, Yahoo and others in its own anti-spam crusade.