The grace period for Mexico’s new anti-spam regulations is almost up. Soon, Mexico will able to legally punish spammers.
Mexico has a population of 105 million, but only 3.5 million Internet users. Mexico is an unranked spammer, though there is some blacklisting. Just as in the United States, it is still possible to cheaply buy Mexican e-mail addresses, and Mexican users are still plagued by spam. See this Mexican user’s
humorous and frustating journey fighting spam in Mexico with filters. He claims to have received spam from the government and large businesses.
Mexico seems to have heeded the calls of its activists. New regulations, which should go into effect in May, have been added to existing Mexican law. Current Mexican consumer rights are protected by the Federal Law of Protection of the Consumer, which is enforced by an administrative agency, PROFECO. The new Articles 17 and 18 of the Federal Law of Protection of the Consumer regulate spam. Article 17 requires an opt-out for e-mails from advertising, credit, and government agencies. Articles 17 and 18 ban harvesting of addresses and restrict the usage of lists to those approved by the consumer. This presumably prevents sale or transfer of e-mail lists. PROFECO has a history of pursing high-profile cases. Assuming adequate funding and intelligence, it is possible that Mexico might pursue spammers when the new regulations go into effect.
For other countries, see the Spam Laws Worldwide Index.