The Pew Internet & American Life Project said in a statement: "The impact of the Can-Spam legislation is mixed, but not very encouraging so far." In its survey, Pew found that 29% of E-mail users have reduced their use of E-mail because of spam, while 77% said spam has made the whole online experience "unpleasant."
"In all," the report said, "86% of E-mail users reported some level of distress with spam." The Pew Project interviewed Web users between Feb. 3 and March 1 and found that a growing number of E-mail users reported their incoming spam had actually increased.
Congress approved the Can-Spam Act late last year. Critics of the legislation have complained that the legislation won't be effective in slowing spam, and may even be counterproductive because it preempts some proposed legislation by states that had tougher anti-spam legislation in the works.