Penis-enlargement ads, moneymaking schemes and other ‘spam’ may become less common if the Massachusetts legislature passes a proposal to punish those who send unsolicited commercial e-mails without putting ‘ADV:’ in the subject line. While clearing out inboxes stuffed with hundreds of meaningless messages is about as enjoyable as scrubbing a Warren Towers toilet, the ‘spam’ proposal would probably do little to alleviate the irritating e-mails. Rather than passing the new law, the state legislature should pursue other methods to combat ‘spam.’

The proposal to fine senders who omit ‘ADV:’ from the subject line $500 per e-mail sounds like a great idea. However, because it would only apply to messages sent from companies or computers in the state that were ‘knowingly’ sent to Massachusetts residents, the proposal would have only slight effects. Proving both of these conditions would be extremely difficult, and many ‘spammers’ would probably just move their operations to a state without restrictive laws.

While the government should see if it can reduce the number of messages that clog up servers and hog bandwidth on their way to inboxes, lawmakers should investigate other more effective and cost-efficient methods. Research could improve filtering methods that prevent ‘spam’ from reaching inboxes, and tackling the problem on the receiving end is probably easier than combating it on the sending end. Even if national legislation punished ‘spammers,’ better filtering is still worth investing in because worldwide legislation will probably not exist anytime in the near future or ever.

Attorney General Tom Reilly’s proposal is a positive sign that officials are looking into this problem and taking it seriously. However, state and federal governments should find better tactics to combat ‘spam’ before continuing to move forward or enacting any legislation. Helping companies find better filtering methods would benefit e-mail providers and their consumers far more than passing yet another ineffective law that pads state bureaucracy. Until those methods are found, however, people will just have to deal with unappetizing ‘spam.’