Released: September 04, 2002

Protest Spam ‘Epidemic’

Consumer Action and Other Groups Petition FTC, Launch New Way for Consumers to Complain About Junk E-mail

NEWS ADVISORY - Consumer Action and two other prominent consumer groups will announce at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2002 that they are joining forces for the first time to petition the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue new rules that will dramatically reduce junk e-mail, or "spam." The Telecommunications Research & Action Center, the National Consumers League and Consumer Action also will unveil a new tool that will enable fed-up e-mail users to send "spam horror stories" to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in support of their petition.

The unprecedented consumer group action against spam e-mail will take place against a backdrop of growing evidence of an increasingly out-of-control epidemic in spam email. One new study estimates unsolicited bulk e-mails now comprise 36 percent of all email traveling over the Internet, which is up sharply from 8 percent just one year ago.

News conference speakers will be:
Ken McEldowney, executive director, Consumer Action (CA). Founded in 1971, the San Francisco-based CA is a non-profit, membership-based organization that serves consumers nationwide by advancing consumer rights.

Samuel A. Simon, chairman, Telecommunications Research & Action Center (TRAC). Founded in 1984, TRAC is a non-profit membership organization based in Washington, D.C. that promotes the interests of residential telecommunications customers.

Susan Grant, vice president of public policy, National Consumers League (NCL). Formed in 1899, the non-profit NCL works to protect and promote the economic and social interests of America's consumers, using education, research, science, investigation and publications.

News Conference: 10 a.m., Cannon Room (on mezzanine level), J.W. Marriott Hotel, next to the National Press Building, Washington, DC.

Can't Attend? Streaming audio will be available on the Web as of 6 p.m. ET on Sept. 4 in the "News Room" at www.trac.org.