Press Release: More action needed to fight spammers and protect online privacy, says Commission report

On 8 October 2009 the European Commission repeated its call for EU countries to do more to tackle online privacy threats to the public. A Commission-funded study published today found that although in recent years several EU countries have taken some measures to enforce Europe's ban on spam, including fines for spammers, the number of prosecuted cases and sanctions imposed on lawbreakers vary considerably. The study confirmed the need for the legislative improvements proposed under the reform of the EU's Telecoms rules: clearer and more consistent enforcement rules and dissuasive sanctions, better cross-border cooperation, and adequate resources for national authorities in charge of protecting citizens' online privacy.