Listen to the Future Tense Interview | How to Listen

The U.S. government should be prepared to spend freely if it decides to encourage "bounty hunters" to track down e-mail spammers, according to a congressionally-mandated study by the Federal Trade Commission.

California Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren and other advocates have said such an approach would encourage citizens to help government investigators track down spammers who often hide behind a trail of false online identities.

The FTC says it would take six-figure awards to get the job done, but that a bounty system may have too many obstacles.

Elsewhere:
Net security threats growing fast
AOL launches comparison shopping site
Dell, Microsoft tops in consumer loyalty
Code created for shape-shifting robots
Digital music prices to fall like rain?