The Telecommunications Research & Action Center (TRAC) needs you to resubmit personal spam horror stories for use in testimony at the Federal Trade Commission's Spam Forum this Wednesday, April 30th.

As an original contributor to the BantheSpam.com web site, TRAC invites you revisit the site and tell the government and the media how harmful spam affects you! Postings will be used by TRAC Founder and Chairman, Sam Simon, will testify on behalf of consumers at the FTC's three-day public forum. Posting to the web site will ensure that your voice is heard along with the other participants from industry, government, and interest groups, who will be working together to propose solutions to spam.

TRAC wants to know:

• How does your experience with spam affect your views of legitimate commercial email offers?
• Do you trust the unsubscribe links provided on emails? Does this feature add legitimacy?
• Does receiving spam make you feel at a loss for privacy and/or security while using the Internet?

BACKGROUND

TRAC along with Consumer Action and National Consumers League filed a petition with the FTC last September calling for the FTC to initiate a rule making to classify unsolicited commercial email as an "unfair and deceptive" trade practice under the Federal Trade Act. Additionally, the proposed rule would prohibit email that misrepresents the source, sender, subject, or does not give consumers a reliable opt-out.

The coalition launched the national "Ban the Spam" campaign and received more than 4250 consumer spam horror stories on the Ban the Spam web site. The groups thank those who have contributed, and continue to invite others to visit Banthespam.com and share their stories. Some testimonials were forwarded to staff at the FTC and used anecdotally in media interviews.

Note of privacy: Coalition members will only release information specifically permitted by each contributor.

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