SPY Act no good, says EFF
p2pnet.net news:- The Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass, SPY, for short, act has already won the approval of the US House of Representatives which endorsed it 368 to 48.
It’s designed to to, “protect users of the Internet from unknowing transmission of a personally identifiable information through spyware programs, and for other purposes,” it states.
But the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) doesn’t agree. If enacted, it’d block lawsuits similar to the one brought against Sony BMG for polluting computers with privacy-invasive copy protection, says Deep Links.
Attempts by Congress at enacting new laws targeting spyware aren’t new and as CNET News posted a while back, “The House approved some kind of antispyware legislation both in 2004 and 2005, but the Senate never acted”.
Meanwhile, “Both the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice have said that they already have the authority they need to go after badware vendors, and this bill doesn’t add any funds or significant tools for federal enforcement,” says the EFF, adding:
“This is a terrible move. If Congress is serious about enacting tough laws against deceptive and malicious programs, it should create incentives that would encourage private citizens to pursue the bad guys. The federal government and state attorneys general can’t possibly take on the entire job alone.
“Congress should also focus on protecting anti-badware tool companies from harassing lawsuits brought by spyware and adware vendors. After all, badware removal programs are doing far more to protect your computer than the federal government ever will. Unfortunately, this bill does nothing to help sustain these helpful tools.
What to do if you agree with the EFF? Make the senate, “understand that they need to do better”.
Also See:
SPY, for short – Spy Act endorsed 368 to 48, June 8, 2007
Deep Links – Action Alert – Stop the SPY Act!, June 12, 2007
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, here for the p2pnet 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!
