Spammers face tri-nation crackdown

The UK government has joined forces with the US and Australia to fight the growing problem of spam.

An agreement brokered by the three nations will see law enforcement authorities co-operate in initiatives to track down and prosecute spammers.

A memorandum of understanding has been signed between the three countries, guaranteeing closer working, including training efforts to investigate spam, and strengthening capabilities to trace and convict spammers.

"With most spam coming from outside the UK this deal puts the fight against spam on a global footing," said e-commerce minister Stephen Timms in a statement.

The memorandum provides a framework to investigate "serious spam violations". These are defined as sending commercial email containing deceptive or misleading content without providing a method for recipients to stop the emails.

"Our countries will not be havens for spammers, and we are calling on other countries to join us in this initiative," said Timms.

The Office of Fair Trading will meet this October to examine methods of combating spam, with 30 countries expected to be represented.