Berlusconi's burlies give spam law big backing

Senders of unsolicited junk emails there will in future face jail sentences of between six months and three years, according to latest reports from the Italian media.

They also risk fines of up to €90,000 if it is proved they sent out mass emails just to make a profit.

The warning by the country's privacy watchdog follows estimates by the European Commission that spam emails cost EU companies approximately 2.25bn euros in lost productivity last year.

EU legislation banning unsolicited email is due to come into force at the end of next month, though it is left to each member state to decide how to enforce regulations - the only stipulation being that the enforcement is "effective".

But as most spam comes from the United States and China, it's thought most offenders will remain outside EU judicial reach, in which case those offending Italy's latest spam laws might also expect to find themselves waking up besides a severed horse's head. µ