Israel's anti-spam law
Translated from Hebrew by Ami Raz - Computer
Solutions
Starting today – it is illegal to send spam
Updated: 27/11/2008
The new amendment to the law requires media companies and advertisers
get your approval to send you commercial e-mail, text messaging,
fax or phone advertisements.
Junk mail, or by its very popular name, “spam,” is mail sent in
bulk from lists of recipients that did not give their approval to receive
the mail. Nowadays spam is primarily sent through e-mail and SMS
messages, but in the past it was acceptable to use this term for advertising
materials sent without the consent of recipients by mail, fax and the
like. In recent years, spam has become one of the most popular marketing
methods in the world, and according to a survey last September, almost
95% of all e-mail messages sent worldwide are spam messages.
When are you allowed to advertise?
If you gave an advertiser contact information in the past, he will
be able to continue sending you advertisements – for commercial services
or products for which you requested information in the past. In any
other case, your written approval is required before you are sent advertising.
Until now, companies and advertisers were able to send junk e-mail messages
without any problems to any e-mail address that they came across. The
companies could also buy mailing lists put together by a third party,
and used for spam messages of their own --- so long as you did not explicitly
request to be removed from the mailing list. In contrast, the
new amendment to the Telecommunications Law (“The Bezeq Law”) which
enters into effect today, requires marketers and advertisers
to get your permission before sending you
commercial material in any form.
Advertisers must request your permission in writing, by email, by a
recorded conversation or during the purchase of a product or service
provided by the advertiser.
How do you stop receiving permitted
publications?
You can notify an advertiser at any time that you would like
to stop receiving commerical e-mail, just as you can today. Send a
written message to the advertiser that you are not interested in receiving
commerical material and the advertiser must stop sending you the material.
Advertisers must specify an e-mail address on all
advertisements for recipients to “opt out” of receiving commerical
material. In addition, the advertiser must note at the top
of every commerical message the word "advertisement", along
with the advertiser's name, address and contact information.
Advertisers who do not meet the conditions of this law, and continue
to send unsolicited e-mail are liable to fines. In addition, if
you have received unsolicited messages, you can sue the
senders and receive compensation of up to 1,000 shekels without
even having to provide proof of damages. The law does not apply,
at this stage, to printed material delivered to mailboxes. But
Communications Ministry officials will consider expanding the law to
cover this option in the future.
Communications
Law (Bezeq and broadcasts) (Amendment No. 40), 2008
The
full text of the Communications Act
The
Ministry of Communications
"Caution
-- spam" on the government site www.gov.il
