EU directive will be crippled by countries failing to comply, warn anti-spam experts
The new anti-spam directive which came into force today will not stop unsolicited email, critics have warned.
Under the terms of the European Privacy and Communications Directive, businesses sending marketing emails to consumers will have to obtain express permission from the recipient.
And it will be illegal to send emails or text messages to mobile phones unless companies can prove an existing customer relationship for similar products and services.
Failure to comply could lead to a £5,000 fine for each offence.