CAN-SPAM Act

The Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM Act) is legislation that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2003 to combat the growing spam problem. Spam is defined as the sending of bulk, unsolicited, electronic marketing messages. While spam is typically thought of as the sending of mass advertisements through email, any electronic mode of communication can be used for sending spam, such as text message, phone, instant message, and web forum.

Spam can be more than just a nuisance; it can often be fraudulent or malicious. The prevalence of spam has grown along with the global growth in the Internet and technology. However, legal recourses related to misuses of technology, such as spam, tend to lag behind new methods for technological ...