Anti-spyware bill passes House

[john_k]

It will be interesting to see the full text of the final bill and to see how effective it is. Anyway, it's a start:

Bill imposes hefty 'spyware' fines

Companies and others that secretly install "spyware" programs on people's computers to quietly monitor their Internet activities would face hefty federal fines under a bill the House passed Tuesday.

Full story:
[cnn.com...]

[coopster]

Of course, you knew there would be exceptions to the rule...

From the CNN article referenced earlier...

The House bill approved Tuesday explicitly permits snooping software built by the FBI or spy agencies secretly collecting information under a court order or other legal permissions affecting federal departments.

There were a couple other points that have caught my eye regarding the bill [thomas.loc.gov]:

...from a related CNET article [news.com.com]...

The Spy Act would also create a complicated set of rules governing software capable of transmitting information across the Internet. It would give the Federal Trade Commission authority to police violations of the law and to levy fines of up to $3 million in the most pernicious cases.

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A similar bill is pending in the Senate. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to key senators on Sept. 21 saying their proposal was "extremely overbroad" and could "stifle e-commerce and open up legitimate businesses to immense legal liabilities."

This will be a fun one to watch unfold, no doubt.

[bcolflesh]

Yep - the bill is a ruse to try and get some more "Patriot" action legislated - extensive discussion on /.

[kaled]

I don't see a significant gray area here. If software gathers or transmits information without permission then it will be illegal. No legit companies should fall foul of this - Microsoft might but no legit companies.

Kaled.

[HughMungus]

Keyword: secretly install. You'll still have lots of spyware installed through allowed installs.

[goodroi]

The US government is trying to get tough. But there is alot of spyware coming from Canada, UK, South Africa etc. It is very hard to stop that stuff and still allow legitimate businesses to continue.