Laws only work with proper enforcement

Two separate legal actions taken against Nevada companies this week should give residents reason to hope their privacy will be protected from illegal marketing practices.

Nevada Attorney General Brian Sandoval's office filed lawsuits this week alleging violations of the state's Do Not Call law by two Clark County firms.

These are the first lawsuits to arise since the measure, meant to protect citizens from unwanted telemarketing calls, went into effect last year. The law is very popular, though many skeptical citizens doubted it would have any effect on stopping the deluge of dinnertime phone calls hawking everything from home refinancing to miracle cures for common ailments.

The second case deals with the Federal Trade Commission's request to shut down the advertising activities of six companies accused of sending sexually explicit e-mails. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Philip M. Pro in Las Vegas granted the FTC's request to issue an injunction against the companies, four of them based in Nevada.

Both of these cases are the necessary steps in the war against these kinds of illegal marketing practices. Too many people believe that all you need is a law and the bad actions will disappear. But there are many unscrupulous business people who will seek to either bend the rules or break them, hoping the enforcers of the law are asleep at the switch.

These legal actions are not, by themselves, going to stop the problem. Aggressive enforcement and stiff punishment over the long term are needed to ensure we can sit down to dinner or open our e-mail without being rudely interrupted.