Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003
Public Law 108-187 · S. 877 · 108th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 16, 2003 · Science, Technology, Communications
Sponsor: Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT)
Cosponsors (22): Sen. Ron Wyden, Sen. Ted Stevens,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 or the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 - (Sec. 2) Sets forth the determination of Congress that: (1) there is a substantial government interest in regulation of commercial electronic mail (spam); (2) senders of spam should not mislead recipients as to the source or content of such mail; and (3) recipients of spam have a right to decline to receive additional spam from the same source.
(Sec. 3) Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to issue regulations defining the relevant criteria to facilitate the determination of the primary purpose of an electronic mail message.
(Sec. 4) Amends the Federal criminal code to subject to a fine, imprisonment, or both any person who: (1) accesses a protected computer without authorization and intentionally initiates the transmission of multiple commercial electronic mail messages from or through such computer; (2) uses a protected computer to relay or retransmit multiple messages, with the intent to deceive or mislead recipients or any Internet access service as to the origin of such messages; (3) materially falsifies header information in multiple messages and intentionally initiates the transmission thereof; (4) registers, with materially false identifying information, for five or more electronic mail accounts or online user accounts or two or more domain names and intentionally initiates the transmission of multiple messages from such accounts or domain names; or (5) falsely represents oneself to be the registrant or legitimate successor in interest to the registrant of five or more Internet protocol addresses and intentionally initiates the transmission of multiple messages from such addresses. Allows for: (1) higher penalties in the case of offenses committed in furtherance of any felony or if the defendant has previously been convicted for conduct involving the transmission of multiple messages or unauthorized access to a computer system; and (2) the forfeiture of property obtained from such an offense and equipment, software, or other technology used to commit such an offense. Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend sentencing guidelines to provide appropriate penalties for such violations.
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) spam has become the method of choice for those who distribute pornography, perpetrate fraudulent schemes, and introduce viruses, worms, and Trojan horses into personal and business computer systems; and (2) the Department of Justice should use all existing law enforcement tools to investigate and prosecute those who send bulk commercial e-mail to facilitate the commission of Federal crimes.
(Sec. 5) Sets forth protections against spam that include: (1) a prohibition against false or misleading transmission information; (2) a prohibition against deceptive subject headings; (3) mandatory inclusion of a return address or a comparable mechanism in commercial electronic mail; (4) a prohibition against transmission of spam after objection (including a prohibition against transferring or releasing an email address after an objection); (5) mandatory inclusion in spam of information identifying the message as an advertisement or solicitation, notice of the opportunity to decline to receive further unsolicited messages from the sender, and the sender's physical address; (6) a prohibition against initiating transmission of spam to a protected computer, or assisting in the origination of such message through the provision of addresses, if the person had actual knowledge, or knowledge fairly implied on the basis of objective circumstances, that the recipient's address was obtained from an Internet website or proprietary online service that included a notice that the operator will not provide addresses for initiating unsolicited messages; (7) a prohibition against using automated means to register for multiple email accounts for the transmission of spam; and (8) a prohibition against relaying or retransmitting an unsolicited message that is unlawful under this section.
Requires a person, when initiating commercial electronic mail containing sexually oriented material, to provide labels warning of such content, unless the recipient has giver prior affirmative consent to receipt of such mail. Provides criminal penalties for violations.
(Sec. 6) Prohibits: (1) promoting a business by the use of email containing false or misleading transmission information; and (2) enforcement against third parties, with exceptions.
(Sec. 7) Confers enforcement powers for violations of this Act upon the FTC, designated Federal agencies, and States. Allows for the award of aggravated damages in certain cases. Permits a provider of Internet access service adversely affected by a violation of this Act to bring a civil action.
(Sec. 9) Directs the FTC to submit to: (1) specified congressional committees a plan and timetable for establishing a nationwide marketing Do-Not-E-mail registry; and (2) Congress a report of the effectiveness and enforcement of provisions of this Act.
(Sec. 11) Directs the FTC to submit to specified congressional committees reports that set forth: (1) a system for rewarding those who supply information about violations of this Act; and (2) a plan for requiring spam to be identifiable from its subject line.
(Sec. 12) Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to make certain restrictions on the use of automated telephone equipment applicable to persons outside the United States (currently, only to persons within the United States) if the call recipient is within the United States.
(Sec. 14) Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate rules to protect consumers from unwanted mobile service commercial messages, including rules to: (1) provide subscribers with the ability to avoid receiving such messages unless they have provided express prior authorization; and (2) allow recipients to indicate electronically their desire not to receive such messages in the future.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 30 actions.
- Dec 16, 2003Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-187.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 11, 2003FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 8, 2003Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment to the House amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Tauzin asked unanimous consent that the House agree to the Senate amendment to the House amendment.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment to the House amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Nov 25, 2003Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate concurred in the House amendment with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate concurred in the House amendment with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 22, 2003FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
- FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 392 - 5 (Roll no. 671).House roll call 671
- FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
- Nov 21, 2003FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 877.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Tauzin moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Oct 24, 2003FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Oct 22, 2003FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 97 - 0. Record Vote Number: 404.Senate roll call 404
- FloorFloor · The committee substitute agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Jul 16, 2003CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 209.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator McCain with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 108-102.
- Jun 19, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Apr 10, 2003CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5204)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
8 amendments offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Offered, no vote recorded
H.Amdt. 454HouseRep. Billy TauzinR-LA-3· offered Nov 22, 2003No vote recorded
Nov 22, 2003: House amendment offered
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 2219SenateSen. Conrad BurnsR-MT· offered Nov 25, 2003Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Nov 25, 2003: Amendment SA 2219 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 1896SenateSen. Jon CorzineD-NJ· offered Oct 22, 2003Agreed to
To direct the FTC to develop a system for rewarding those who supply information about violations of this Act and a system for requiring ADV labeling on unsolicited commercial electronic mail.
Oct 22, 2003: Amendment SA 1896 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 1895SenateSen. Tom HarkinD-IA· offered Oct 22, 2003Agreed to
To provide competitive grants for training court reporters and closed captioners to meet requirements for realtime writers under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and for other purposes.
Oct 22, 2003: Amendment SA 1895 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 1894SenateSen. Michael EnziR-WY· offered Oct 22, 2003Agreed to
To require warning labels on sexually explicit commercial e-mail.
Oct 22, 2003: Amendment SA 1894 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 1893SenateSen. Orrin HatchR-UT· offered Oct 22, 2003Agreed to
To revise the criminal penalty provisions of the bill as reported, and for other purposes.
Oct 22, 2003: Amendment SA 1893 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 1892SenateSen. Chuck SchumerD-NY· offered Oct 22, 2003Agreed to
To authorize the Commission to implement a nationwide "Do Not E-mail" registry.
Oct 22, 2003: Amendment SA 1892 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 1891SenateSen. Ron WydenD-OR· offered Oct 22, 2003Agreed to
To clarify the provision prohibiting false or misleading transmission information, and for other purposes.
Oct 22, 2003: Amendment SA 1891 as modified agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote. (text as modified: CR S13026)
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.