Tech

It shouldn't need an act

Hooray for Alan Duncan MP!

It doesn't stand a chance of becoming an Act of Parliament, but his Internet Communications (Regulation) Bill warms my heart.

The Bill has one purpose: to finally eliminate frankly pointless verbiage that finds its way onto the bottom of emails from most companies. His speech at the bill's first reading puts the point quite well.

My previous employer added more than 200 words spread over 25 lines to every outgoing message. I've always held that I'd voluntarily include legal disclaimers in email when I see them on headed notepaper.

It shouldn't need an Act of Parliament to persuade companies of the folly of their ways.

What's surprised me is the backlash in comments on The Register's news report on the story. The general gist is that there may be some legislation that pushes companies towards including these abhorrent appendages to all outgoing messages.

Maybe it does need an Act after all.

Paul Bennett          _      onewhe
pab@doc.ic.ac.uk      |      elgood
                     /|\     twowhe
                     \_/     elsbad

Next step: stop "pithy" quotes or "Sent from my iPhone" in email signatures. Then again, back in the early '90s I was guilty of worse: unicycle ASCII art.

Perhaps an Act could've saved me from myself.