CRTC partners with New Zealand regulator to fight spam

OTTAWA-GATINEAU, Feb. 23, 2017 /CNW/ - The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs to fight unsolicited commercial electronic messages (spam) and the threats they pose to consumers in both countries.

The agreement will also promote close cooperation in enforcing both countries' spam laws. The agencies have committed to sharing information and intelligence, where permitted by the laws of each jurisdiction, regarding commercial electronic messages.

By working closely with its partners, the CRTC will be able to more effectively ensure that those who engage in unsolicited communications, whether in Canada or abroad, comply with Canada's anti-spam legislation.

Quick Facts

• Canada and New Zealand are members of the Unsolicited Communications Enforcement Network (UCENet), an international network of enforcement agencies responsible for spam and unsolicited communications.
• On March 24, 2016, the CRTC and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission signed a memorandum of understanding to share information related to unsolicited telecommunications and spam as well as exchanging knowledge and expertise through training programs and staff exchanges.
• On June 2016, the CRTC signed a memorandum of understanding with 11 enforcement agencies from 8 different countries to help fight unlawful spam and unsolicited telecommunications.
• On November 2016, the CRTC signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to work more collaboratively on unwanted robocalls (also known as automated dialing-announcing device calls).

Quote

"This agreement demonstrates our ongoing commitment to work closely with partners to fight unlawful communications and protect Canadians from spam and the threat of embedded malware. Partnering with agencies like New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs will help reduce the number of unsolicited commercial messages Canadians receive in the future."

- Jean-Pierre Blais, Chairman and CEO CRTC

Associated Links

• Memorandum of Understanding between the United States Federal Trade Commission and the CRTC
• CRTC partners with international agencies to fight spam and unsolicited phone calls
• Memorandum of Understanding between the United States Federal Communications Commission and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission on Mutual Assistance in the Enforcement of Laws on Automated Telephone Calls and Inaccurate Caller Identification
• Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules (appendix 1)
• Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation

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SOURCE Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

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