Setting the stage for spam-free schools.

E-mail spam is universal--even in schools. "Children are not protected and are receiving spain containing advertising for products like tobacco, alcohol and pornography," says Erin Barry, vice president of public relations for Unspam.

Although it is illegal to advertise these products to children, most states cannot enforce the law because e-mail addresses like school domain names are global. This makes it difficult to demonstrate that spammers have broken the law by targeting children.

This year, Utah and Michigan became the first states to enact legislation to establish child protection e-mail registries. Similar to a Do Not Call list, the registry allows schools to register their entire domain name. Utah-based technology firm Unspam operates the registry and manages the do not e-mail system for all registered addresses.

"It makes it much easier to catch a spammer and show that the law was broken," explains Barry.

Schools in the two states are not automatically registered with Unspam, but the process is simple. "Schools can register their entire domain name in less than five minutes by going to the appropriate Website for their state," continues Barry. When a spam violation occurs in Utah or Michigan, schools can report the violation on the Unspam website. Unspam sends a report to the state for prosecution.

Schools in the remaining 48 states have limited options for spam protection. It's technically possible to opt of spam on an individual basis, but the effort would be constant and ongoing.

Instead, Barry recommends that educators contact state legislators and request that the state establish a child-protection e-mail registry.

www.protectmichild.com

www.utahkidsregistry.com