The House sticks it to ’em!
Yahoo! News reports on this almost slam-dunk for computer users across America. The House of Representatives voted 399 to 1 to impose fines on the bastards who write and distribute spyware.
Wouldn’t you know it was a Texan Republican who voted against it.
The most egregious behaviors ascribed to the category of such software – secretly recording a person’s computer keystrokes or mouse clicks – are already illegal under U.S. wiretap and consumer protection laws.
The House proposal, known as the “Spy Act,” adds civil penalties over what has emerged as an extraordinary frustration for Internet users, whose infected computers often turn sluggish and perform unexpectedly.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mary Bono (news, bio, voting record), R-Calif., provides guidelines for technology companies that distribute software capable of most types of electronic monitoring. It requires that consumers explicitly choose to install such software and agree to the information being collected.
Not surprisingly, an investigation revealed over 60 different varieties of spyware installed on the panel’s own computers. This bill adds civil fines to the toolbox authorities have for fighting cybercrime.
Law enforcement agancies operating under a wiretap order are, of course, exempt.
Hollerings