The move, put forward by District of Columbia Council member David Catania, bans commercial mail containing false information or which does not provide an opt-out for recipients. The District of Columbia Spam Deterrence Act 2005 also outlaws phishing scams and, if implemented, would create penalties of up to $1.5 million for emails sent to or from the District of Columbia.
Catania said that unsolicited email is a menace and burden to anyone that surfs the internet and a serious threat to privacy. He believes his new measure imposes significant civil and criminal penalties.
