The Global Internet Project’s (GIP) workshop: “Spam – Can It Be Stopped?” last week included keynotes by Internet architect Vint Cerf and Orson Swindle, Commissioner at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In attendance were more than 100 participants representing some of the leading experts from government, academia, law, business, and the press. There was strong consensus that spam is a broad and deep problem and it is having significant negative economic and personal productivity impact. While there was strong consensus that spam will never likely be eliminated entirely, workshop participants made a strong statement that a multi-faceted approach was crucial to address the burgeoning problem of spam. By leveraging the capabilities of Internet service providers (ISPs), software companies, employers, consumers, and government, spam can be most effectively addressed. The program, with updated speaker and panelist information is posted on the GIP site. A press release with the headline “Internet Group Says Spam Threatens the Internet: Best Practices, Not Regulation Best Tool to Fight The Problem” was issued yesterday. The presentations are posted here. You may also be interested that there will be a web cast hosted by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) from 11:00am-12:00pm EDT on July 8. Entitled “State Spam & Unsolicited E-mail Law Webcast”, it will feature David H. Kramer of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, a firm specializing in Internet-related litigation and counseling with emphasis on privacy and intellectual property matters. Free registration and more information is available here.

Media coverage of the workshop included the following publications: ComputerWorld, Tech Daily, Washington Internet Daily, and LA Times. The GIP will continue to follow the Internet spam issue….