INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION

ITU-T

TELECOMMUNICATION

STANDARDIZATION SECTOR OF ITU

WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION STANDARDIZATION ASSEMBLY

Florianópolis, 5-14 October 2004

Resolution 52 – Countering spam by technical means

FOREWORD

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency in the field of telecommunications. The ITU Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) is a permanent organ of ITU. ITU-T is responsible for studying technical, operating and tariff questions and issuing Recommendations on them with a view to standardizing telecommunications on a worldwide basis.

The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA), which meets every four years, establishes the topics for study by the ITU-T study groups which, in turn, produce Recommendations on these topics.

The approval of ITU-T Recommendations is covered by the procedure laid down in WTSA Resolution 1.

RESOLUTION 52

Countering spam by technical means

(Florianópolis, 2004)

The World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (Florianópolis, 2004),

Considering

a)    that spam has become a widespread problem causing loss of revenue to Internet service providers, telecommunication operators, mobile telecommunication operators and business users, as well as other problems to users in general;

b)    the report of the chairman of the ITU World Summit on the Information Society thematic meeting on countering spam, which advocated a comprehensive approach to combating spam, namely:

i) Strong legislation,

ii) The development of technical measures,

iii) The establishment of industry partnerships,

iv) Education, and

v) International cooperation;

c)    that technical measures to counter spam represent one of those approaches mentioned in b) above;

d)    that many countries, in particular countries with economies in transition, developing countries, and especially least developed countries, need help when it comes to countering spam;

e)    that spamming is at times used for criminal, fraudulent or deceptive activities;

f)     the availability of relevant ITU-T Recommendations, which could provide guidance for

future development in this area, particularly with regard to lessons learned, recognizing

a)    relevant provisions of the basic instruments of ITU;

b)    that spam creates telecommunication network security problems, including by being a vehicle for spreading viruses, worms, etc.;

c)    that spam is a global problem that requires international cooperation in order to find solutions;

d)    that addressing the issue of spam is a matter of urgency,

instructs the relevant study groups

in cooperation with the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and other relevant groups, to develop, as a matter of urgency, technical Recommendations, including required definitions, on countering spam, as appropriate, and to report regularly to the Telecommunication Standardization Advisory Group on their progress,

Instructs the Director of the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau

To provide all necessary assistance with a view to expediting such efforts, and to report on this to the Council.<–>