A West Virginia AOL employee has been arrested for selling the screennames of millions of AOL users. This arrest (and the charges) show just how valuable CAN-SPAM has become.
AOL first learned that an insider was selling the names in discovery proceedings for CAN-SPAM civil suits earlier in the year. It used internal logs to find the identity of that employee. Using other discovery documents, AOL connected the employee to the spammers, who face CAN-SPAM charges also and are looking to offer testimony for lesser charges.
Thanks to CAN-SPAM, AOL was able to find its mole and he now faces criminal charges and could face up to five years in prison or hefty fines. AOL also has an array of civil remedies for trade secret theft or violation of contract, and there are also state laws criminalizing stealing trade secrets.