] The United Nations is aiming to bring a "modern day
] epidemic" of junk e-mail under control within two years
] by standardizing legislation to make it easier to
] prosecute offenders, a leading expert said Tuesday.
]
] "(We have) an epidemic on our hands that we need to learn
] how to control," Robert Horton, the acting chief of the
] Australian communications authority, told reporters.
] "International cooperation is the ultimate goal."
]
] The International Telecommunications Union is hosting a
] meeting on spam in Geneva this week that brings together
] regulators from 60 countries as well as various
] international organizations, including the Council of
] Europe and the World Trade Organization.
]
] The U.N. agency said it would put forward examples of
] anti-spam legislation which countries can adopt to make
] cross-border cooperation easier. Many states currently
] have no anti-spamming laws in place, making it difficult
] to prosecute the international phenomenon.
]
] Top priority is "pornographic material ... that may come
] to the attention of children," said Horton, who is
] running the meeting. "I think it's time we did something
] formally about this. We will have to come to some sort of
] general understanding."