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Norma Connolly

A five-minute primer on an issue making headlines
The first phase of an anti-spam law is under way, with do-not-call registers coming into force for fax and SMS spam messages.
How does it work?
You call a number to register your fax or mobile phone number. If someone sends spam to that number, action can be taken.
What  punishment will spammers face?
Depending on the severity and repetitiveness of the offence, penalties range from HK$100,000 to HK$1 million in fines and five years in jail.
Why has it taken so long to implement this in Hong Kong?
It took a while for the government to take action to stem the rising tide of spam e-mails, text messages, faxes and pre-recorded phone messages that constantly pestered residents. The telecoms watchdog Ofta issued guidelines on unsolicited faxes in 1999, but no one took much notice. A consultation paper was drawn up in 2004 - when it was revealed that more than half of all e-mails in Hong Kong were spam.  In the middle of 2006, the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Bill made slow progress through the Legislative Council before finally being passed in May  last year.
Why was progress so slow on the bill?
It had to be determined whether electronic spam included the much-detested cold-calling  telemarketers, for instance. It doesn't. It also had to be decided if the do-not-register list applied to e-mails. It doesn't. Also, quite a number of organisations opposed the legislation, saying it was a legitimate form of advertising and would affect their business.
So, will this stop the endless e-mailed offers of dodgy Viagra supplies and promises of a larger  penis?
Not entirely. E-mails from overseas addresses aren't included because there is no international protocol to deal with them.
Why is spam called spam?
It's a commonly held notion that British cult comedy team Monty Python  is responsible for turning the questionably nutritious tinned processed meat into a byword for annoying sales pitches. In a classic Python skit, a couple in a restaurant try to order food, but can order only spam while a horde of Vikings sing 'Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam'. Admittedly, it's a fairly tenuous link. Early internet users adopted it to describe  unwanted material flooding their e-mail in-boxes or user-group boards.



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