Anti-pretexting legislation
p2pnet.net News:- Bad news for Time Warner, Viacom, Fox, Sony, NBC Universal and Disney.
Legislation aimed at making it a federal crime in America to use fake telephone calls to get private information could be on the way.
The MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), owned by the Big Six studios, relies heavily on ‘pretexting’ or ‘pretensing,’ as the practise is known, to get information it can then use against people it wants to prosecute. And the last thing it wants to see is a federal ban.
Not that pretexting is Hollywood’s only underhand way of obtaining information.
For example, this summer it came to light that MPAA honcho Dean Garfield had offered to pay $15,000 for someone to hack Torrentspy.com.
“On or about July 2005, MPAA took possession from Robert Anderson of information he had hacked from plaintiffs’ computers and email accounts, and, after examining it, paid Mr. Anderson $15,000.00 by wire transfer of funds to a Toronto, Ontario, Canada bank,” says a court document.
Meanwhile, “About 12 states have made telephone pretexting a crime, but there’s currently no clear federal prohibition,” says The Wall Street Journal.
However, “Spurred by the Hewlett Packard Co. scandal, Congress is moving toward passing legislation this week that would make it a federal crime to obtain someone’s telephone records without his or her approval,” it states.
“The pretexting legislation has been stalled since the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved it in March,” says Computerworld.
“The bill would allow the FTC to seek civil penalties against so-called pretexters, those who masquerade as a customer to gain access to phone records or other personal information.”
A second pretexting bill, the Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act, has already passed the House, “but the measure is hung up in the Senate over disagreements over the best approach. The House bill would make pretexting a crime, with a penalty of up to 10 years in prison,” says the story.
Also See:
last thing it wants – Hollywood defends ‘pretexting’, December 1, 2006
hack Torrentspy.com – MPAA Torrentspy bribery case, June 23, 2006
The Wall Street Journal – Congress May Soon Make ‘Pretexting’ a Federal Crime, December 6, 2006
Computerworld – Congress may soon vote on pretexting legislation, September 29, 2006
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