The Unsolicited Electronic Messages Ordinance will be fully
implemented on Dec. 22, Director- General of Telecommunications of
the Hong Kong government Marion Lai announced here Thursday.
People who want to decline unsolicited commercial electronic
messages, also known as spam, can register their phone or fax
numbers onto three do-not-call registers.
The three registers -- fax, short messages and pre-recorded
phone calls will be launched in phases on Dec. 22, Jan. 8 and Jan.
25 respectively to ensure smooth operation. Protection will start
from the 10th working day from the registration date.
Lai said that with the ordinance's full launch the existing
interim measures to tackle unsolicited electronic messages will be
withdrawn.
Those who have registered their numbers on the office's existing
not-to-call list for rejecting junk faxes will have to register
their numbers onto the do-not-call register for fax. People can
also make unsubscribe requests direct to individual message
senders.
Commercial electronic message senders are reminded to: provide
accurate sender information and unsubscribe facility in a message;
honor recipients' unsubscribe requests; not send messages to any
phone or fax numbers listed on a do-not-call register unless
consent has been obtained from the recipient; not withhold calling
line identification information when sending pre-recorded telephone
calls and fax messages; and not use misleading subject headings
when sending email messages.
The Telecommunications Authority will issue enforcement notices
to senders who have contravened these rules. Failure to comply with
enforcement notices warrants a 100,000 HK dollars-fine (about
12,853 U.S. dollars) on first conviction, and up to 500,000 HK
dollars on subsequent conviction.
(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2007)