High fines for unsolicited e-mails

A Dutchman must pay a fine of 75,000 euros for sending at least nine billion unsolicited e-mails. This was announced by the telecoms supervisory authority in The Hague on Friday, according to SDA. The man had advertised pornography, erection pills, sex products and the like in the spam e-mails and earned at least 40,000 euros. The fine is the highest ever imposed by the Dutch authorities for sending spam e-mails. Sending unsolicited electronic mail has been banned within the EU for around two years. Those sending advertising by e-mail, fax or SMS texts for cell phones must ask the recipients for their consent and are not allowed to conceal their own identity. The Dutch authorities also found it particularly incriminating that the man manipulated hundreds of computers of unsuspecting people to send his e-mails in order to conceal the true sender.