A magistrate called yesterday for the urgent introduction of laws to ban junk e-mail after a computer expert who bombarded thousands of people with advertisements was cleared of acting illegally.
Magistrate James Lee Chung-yin said Internet users, such as himself, had to be protected from 'spamming', the sending of unsolicited e-mail messages in bulk.
'The Government should consider introducing anti-spamming legislation quickly so that I can also be protected from junk mail,' he said in Eastern Court.
He also urged Internet service providers to restrict spamming.
Ng Ming-sum, 26, was found not guilty of two charges of accessing a computer with dishonest intent.
In May this year, Mr Ng gained access to the mail servers of Euan Barty Associates (EBA) and HKName Design Company.
Mr Ng told the court he found the companies' Web site addresses while browsing through the Chinese University's Web site.