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Anti-Spam Initiative

 Spam is generally defined as unsolicited electronic messages usually sent in bulk for commercial purposes via email. Spam largely takes the form of unwanted, unsolicited, emails via the internet which are usually sent to promote goods and services or scam. It can also include other forms of electronic messages such as text messages using Short Message Service or Multimedia Message Service.

Spam does not refer to legitimate commercial email for which the recipients have given their consent. Spam is often a source of scams, viruses and offensive content. Spam is a major problem that takes up valuable time and increases costs for consumers, business and governments.

In line with the mission of the National Computer Board (NCB) to promote the development of the ICT Sector, the Board had taken the initiative to develop an Anti-Spam action plan for Mauritius to address the issue of spamming. This action plan contains recommendations on how to address the problem of spam, which is the result of the anti-spam committee – a committee which comprised of both public and private representatives.

One of the recommendations refers to the implementation of anti-spam awareness campaigns targeting the General public, Students, Public & Private employees, IT Professionals and SMEs.

In order to monitor the implementation of the action plan, act as a platform for stakeholders to share information on best practices to reduce spam and provide policy guidance on measures for future actions to combat spam in Mauritius, an Anti-Spam Co-ordination Committee has been set up comprising of representatives from public and private sectors, including NGOs, Internet community stakeholders, consumer protection agencies and academia.

The Anti-Spam Co-ordination Committee consists of representatives from the following organisations:

  • National Computer Board
  • IT Security Unit, Ministry of IT and Telecommunications
  • Ministry of Education and Human Resources
  • Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperatives
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation
  • Joint Economic Council
  • Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI)
  • State Law Office
  • ICT Authority
  • Mauritius IT Industry Association
  • Internet Society
  • University of Mauritius (UOM)
  • University of Technology
  • Telecom Plus/Mauritius Telecom
  • ACT