WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday passed the second bill in three days that would outlaw “spyware,” irritating software that quietly monitors the activities of Internet users.
It would add penalties of up to five years in prison for people convicted of installing such programs without a computer user’s permission.
The bill, known as the “Internet Spyware Prevention Act,” passed 415-0. It would give the Justice Department $10-million (U.S.) to crack down on companies and others that secretly install spyware and those who attempt to trick victims into disclosing personal details and financial information in e-mail scams popularly known as “phishing.”
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said such problems were growing and serious. Offenders under his bill would be sentenced for up to five years for secretly installing spyware to break into someone’s computer and committing another federal crime.
Anyone caught installing spyware to change a computer’s security settings or steal a victim’s personal information — such as an e-mail address, telephone number or bank account number — could be sentenced up to two years in prison.
Well, about time. Problem is: what is spyware? If you ask the Kazaa guys, they insist they don’t have spyware, but the software definitely installs something that acts in a very similar fashion.
I hope the bill contains a clear-cut definition, else $10 million won’t be enough for all the complciated court cases.
John, I have been following your writing since 1984 or so, and have consistently found your observations and proclamations to be outright enjoyable, and certainly of value when I cast my eyes over the landscape of our industry and try to determine where I ought to step next in providing solutions for my industry of choice (auto dealerships). Thank you for your powerful insights, and sharing them with our fellow geeks.
Gil
bollocks