JUNKBUSTERS ^®

Contact: Jeannette Boccini
The Krantz Group, Inc.
(212) 891-7235
(jboccini@krantzgroup.com)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Los Angeles, California -- March 10, 1998-- Junkbusters Corp. President Jason Catlett today praised a strategic change taken in anti-spamming legislation originally introduced into the California State Assembly in January. In the revised version of the bill, due out today, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can claim in court "statutory damages" (dollar amounts) from senders of junk email (spam).

"Plenty of legislation has already been proposed banning or restricting junk email. The innovation here is making it easier for ISPs who take spammers to court to recover monetary damages," said Mr. Catlett. "Spamming has always shifted the costs of solicitation to the recipients and ISPs. Some ISPs have already collected substantial sums, but quantifying the damages has always been difficult. A statute setting these amounts may turn the courts into a faster and more effective deterrent than an outright ban, which makes many people feel uneasy about undue government interference."

In 1996 Junkbusters popularized a legal strategy for deterring spammers, based on the idea of "offering" to receive junk email for a payment of ten dollars per message. Junkbusters SpamOff (TM), which tailors a "no email solicitations" sign ready to publish on the Web, has become one of the most popular tools for individuals who want to fight spam.

The proposed bill is AB 1629, introduced by Assemblymen Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar) and Jim Cunneen (R-San Jose), titled the Internet Consumer Protection Act. Another bill using statutory damages for ISPs is AB 2640, introduced by Assemblywoman Debra Bowen (D-Marina del Rey). Bowen had also introduced a more conventional junk email bill, AB 1676. The full texts of the bills are available from http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ on the Web.

Reporters are invited to participate in a session at Internet World where Assemblypersons Miller and Bowen will discuss their legislation with Mr. Catlett and other prominent anti-spammers. The session will include a substantial Question and Answer period and will run from 5:30 P.M.- 6:30 P.M. on Thursday, March 12, 1998 in room 406B at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Separately, Mr. Catlett will debate the world's best-known spammer, Sanford Wallace, President of Cyber Promotions, at 2:45 P.M. on Wednesday, March 11, 1998 in room 408B. The text of Mr. Catlett's opening statement is available at http://www.junkbusters.com/ht/en/world.html on the Web.

Junkbusters's web site (http://www.junkbusters.com) is a leading consumer resource on the control of telemarketing calls, unwanted mail, email, and commercial invasions of privacy. The company's flagship service, Junkbusters Declare (SM), gives consumers a free and easy way to say what they want and don't want from direct marketers, and to tell companies that sell mailing lists not to ``rent'' their names. Its widely-used free privacy-enhancing software, the Internet Junkbuster Proxy (TM), blocks unwanted cookies and banner ads.

Junkbusters is a ``virtual corporation'' whose mission is to free the people of the world from junk communications. The Delaware-registered company has an international team of technology and marketing specialists on three continents.