No sooner did the U.S. Can-Spam antispam law go into effect than spammers got to work exploiting its loopholes and gray areas, an e-mail-filtering company said Tuesday.

Representatives of United Kingdom-based SurfControl said that while 19 out of 20 spammers are ignoring the law completely, SurfControl researchers have observed some spammers adjusting their tactics to give at least the impression of compliance.

The spammers' methods, however, often violate either the letter or the spirit of the law.

The Can-Spam Act (full name: Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act), which took effect Jan. 1, requires commercial e-mail to include the advertiser's postal address, a "clear and conspicuous" commercial notice and a way for recipients to opt out of future mailings.

By Chris Ulbrich at Wired.

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