Companies are now required to gain consent before sending e-Mails as a ban on spam – spam eMails make up more than half of all e-mail traffic throughout the EU is introduced.
The European Commission reckons spam costs European business nearly $3 billion in lost productivity last year alone.
However, most of the spam that hits Europe comes from abroad, particularly from the US.
Concerted international action is needed. But there are signs that everyone is waking up to the scale of the problem, with the US Senate approving a bill banning spam in the US. It hopes the House of Representatives will soon follow suit.
The new EU rules also limit the ability of companies to use files known as cookies, to gain information about people who visit their websites.
It is up to each member state to decide how to punish companies and individuals who break the new rules.
