Good news for many who are annoyed by the spam phone calls and text messages that have become an almost daily occurrence. The Knesset Economics Committee voted in a second and third reading to prohibit non-profits from continuing spam phone calls.

The Spam Law as it is referred to is intended to bring relief to the tzibur from the unwanted calls, a bill initiated by MK (Machane Tzioni) Micky Rosenthal. The bill includes mosdos tzedaka, non-profits, religious organization and more, prohibiting them from calling people with a recorded message or sending an SMS text without authorization from the recipient. Interestingly, the bill does not include continuing spam calls and text messages by politicians even though some are non-profit organizations. The government would not back the bill without excluding politicians.

The bill was voted into law in 2008, but it only addressed companies doing so for profit. The new amended bill includes the above-mentioned organizations and institutions to expand the scope of the law. Rosenthal explained the spam phone messages and text messages have become a plague and something had to be done to bring an end to them.

The new law states a recipient is entitled to up to NIS 1000 in compensation if one receives a spam message, even without having to prove damages. The law also stipulates that regarding businesses sending messages, recipients must have the ability to opt out and the onus of proving a recipient is willing to receive spam messages including email falls on the sender, not the recipient.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)