Proposals to establish "do not email" child-protection registries have gained ground in three more states, and a total of five - Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois and Iowa - are now considering establishing such registries, which Michigan and Utah have already established, reports MediaPost. Utah's law is being challenged in court.
The laws would prohibit marketers from sending material harmful to minors to children's email addresses. The Utah lawsuit was brought by the Free Speech Coalition, an adult-entertainment trade organization.
Marketing associations and advocacy groups have filed "friend of the court" (amicus) briefs, arguing that the state laws are preempted by the CAN-SPAM act and impede interstate commerce, violate free speech rights, and are too vague about which types of emails are banned.
