ISPs belonging to LINX, which handles more than 90% of the UK's internet traffic, are seeking to tackle spammers who host their e-commerce web sites with a reputable ISP while sending spam from another network.
Until now ISPs have only acted to withdraw e-mail services or internet access for spammers. The new anti-spam policy will now target web site owners even when the site owner uses a third party to send the spam itself.
LINX is also calling on ISPs to take down web sites used to sell spamming tools, such as CD-ROMs containing millions of illegally-collected e-mail addresses.
According to LINX regulation officer Malcolm Hutty, "This represents an ever tougher approach to spammers. ISPs are not just trying to avoid their own users sending spam, we want to put the spammers out of business altogether."
The measures form a code of Best Current Practice, and is the second BCP on spam to be adopted. The first, which came into effect in May 1999, has since become the basis of most anti-spam standards, according to LINX.
But with recent research showing that less than 1% of spam originates in the UK, and that less than 20% comes from Europe, a question remains over how effective the new measures will actually be.
Hutty acknowledged the problem, but argued, "The new BCP will raise the baseline, making the worldwide acceptable minimum standard tougher."
"We will be working to spread this standard beyond the UK at RIPE [Réseaux IP Européens - an international forum which manages the operation of the internet], Euro-IX and elsewhere. We shall also be asking for support from the UK government at WSIS (the World Summit on the Information Society), OECD and other international forums," he added.