Antispam Measure Progresses in Ohio

Ohio is one step closer to ridding its residents' inboxes of spam since the state legislature passed the nation's latest antispam bill on Tuesday. This measure, co-sponsored by Ohio Representative Kathleen Walcher and Senator Ron Amstutz, has also received backing from America Online.

If the bill is signed into law by the governor, it will be one of the toughest antispam laws in the country. Spammers could be fined, have their computer equipment confiscated, or even face jail time if convicted.

"The new antispam law in Ohio comes at a critical time for ISPs and online consumers who fight junk email and spammers on a daily basis. The law, if enacted, would impose harsh criminal penalties against the most egregious spammers, who use tactics of fraud and deceit to get spam into the email inboxes of online consumers," AOL said in a statement.

AOL has a vested interest in the bill's passage, as some of its network infrastructure is located within Ohio. The company also had successfully pushed for a similar law in Maryland earlier this year.