The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has charged seven companies with violating anti-porn provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act because of actions taken by their marketing affiliates, the commission announced yesterday, writes ClickZ. The firms didn't directly spam consumers but operated affiliate programs in which others sent spam on their behalf, the FTC said.

Four companies have agreed to pay a total of nearly $1.2 million to settle, and at the request of the FTC the Department of Justice has filed suit against TJ Web Productions of Henderson, Nevada, Cyberheat Inc. of Tucson, Arizona, and Impulse Media of Seattle.

The FTC charged the companies with sending sexually explicit email that was not labeled accordingly, failing to provide clear opt-out mechanisms, and failing to include postal addresses with the messages.

The companies that settled also agreed to allow the FTC to monitor their operations to ensure they are complying with existing laws, according to Reuters. Microsoft helped in the investigation, the FTC said.