Congress is in the early stages of considering what to do about spam, but that doesn't mean spam artists who clog computers with massive volumes of unsolicited e-mail have nothing to worry about. A tough new bill to combat spam . . .
Congress is in the early stages of considering what to do about spam, but that doesn't mean spam artists who clog computers with massive volumes of unsolicited e-mail have nothing to worry about. A tough new bill to combat spam was signed into law Tuesday in Virginia.

While about half of the states in the U.S. do have anti-spam laws, the Virginia law - which provides for fines and jail time - is a first in that it allows authorities to seize the assets earned from spamming.

The penalties can apply even if the sender and recipients live elsewhere because much of the global Internet traffic passes through northern Virginia, home to major online companies such as America Online and MCI and a conduit to major federal communications hubs in neighboring Washington and its suburbs.

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