Spy Act endorsed 368 to 48
p2pnet.net news:- The US House of Representatives has endorsed the Spy Act 368 to 48.
It’s being drawn up to, “protect users of the Internet from unknowing transmission of a personally identifiable information through spyware programs, and for other purposes,” it states.
Under the prohibition, the Bill says, ” it is unlawful for any person, who was not the owner or authorised user a protected computer, to engage in an affair or deceptive acts or practices involved in any of the following conduct with respect to the protected computer.”
Called the Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act in full, it goes on to define, in great detail, exactly what behaviours and activities would be illegal.
Software written specifically to collect “personally identifiable information” includes applications which, “send such information to a person other than the owner or authorised user of the computer,” or which, ” uses such information to deliver advertising to, or display advertising on, the computer”.
Are exceptions allowed within a particular web site? They are.
“Computer software that otherwise would be considered an information collection programme … shall not be considered such a program if:
A) the only information collected by the software regarding the user’s Internet connectivity, and used to deliver advertising to, or display advertising on, the protected computer, is -
(i) information regarding web pages and in particular website; or
(ii) in the case of any Internet-based search function, user supplied search terms it necessary to complete the search and return results to the user;
B) such information collected is not sent to a person other than -
(i) the provider of the web site accessed or Internet-based search function; or
(ii) a party authorised to facilitate the display or functionality of Web pages within the website access; and
(C) the only advertising delivered to all displayed on a computer using such information is advertising on web pages within that particular website.
Meanwhile, predictably, the companies most affected by the Bill, are screaming and shouting.
“In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday, a wide range of groups including the American Bankers Association, the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the Information Technology Association of America, and NetCoalition (which counts Yahoo, Google, and News.com publisher CNET Networks as members) warned that the Spy Act would be problematic,” says CNET News.
As drafted, the Spy Act, “would regulate every Web site on the Internet and for any site that collects any ‘personal’ information, a proscriptive notice pop-up box would appear,” it has Mike Zaneis, a vice president with the Interactive Advertising Bureau, saying. “Congress is not capable of carving out all of the benign technologies that currently exist or will be developed in the future.”
Opponents also plead restrictions are, “worded broadly enough to threaten the viability of a vast array of Web sites that rely on cookies to provide their services,” says CNET.
“The bill’s authors have attempted to exempt cookies, but opponents say the approved version doesn’t go far enough to ease their concerns and could prevent the adoption of technologies no one has even dreamed up yet.”
However, it could all be nothing more than hot air and posturing.
Attempts by Congress at enacting new laws targeting spyware aren’t new and, “The House approved some kind of antispyware legislation both in 2004 and 2005, but the Senate never acted,” says the story, which kicks off by saying the bill, “sets the stage for a political showdown in the Senate later this year”.
Also See:
CNET News – Net firms lose in House spyware vote, June 6, 2007
If your Net access is blocked by government restrictions, try Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies. Go here for the official download, and here for details. And if you’re Chinese and you’re looking for a way to access independent Internet news sources, try Freegate, the DIT program written to help Chinese citizens circumvent web site blocking outside of China. Download it here.
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Tired of being treated like a criminal? They depend on you, not the other way around. Don’t buy their ‘product’. Do bug your local politicians. Use emails, snail-mail, phone calls, faxes, IM, stop them in the street, blog. And if you’re into organizing, organize petitions, organize demonstrations and then turn up on your local political rep’s doorstep, making sure you’ve contacted your local tv/radio station/newspaper in advance. Don’t just complain. Do something!
