p2pnet.net News:- Mary Bono’s bill demanding clear and conspicuous warnings on applications infested with spyware has passed the House Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection subcommittee.

Called the “Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act,” it also calls for fines of up to $3 million.

It would, “require third parties to reveal their intent to collect and use the consumer’s information,” says a PE.com story here. “Those collecting the information would be required to identify themselves and provide a street address and valid e-mail address.”

It also bans keystroke logging, “computer hijacking” and the display of advertisements that can’t be closed unless a computer is turned off, says the story.

SPY would be enforced by the FCC (Federal Trade Commission), which would be allowed to seek up to $3 million in fines from those who unlawfully collect personal information from consumers and, “A similar bill authored by Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., Ron Wyden, D-Oregon and Conrad Burns, R-Montana, is making its way through the Senate,” says PE.com.

Next comes the full House Energy and Commerce Committee, and from there, SPY goes to the House floor, says PE.com.

However, “some fear that the spyware bill could inadvertently lead to problems for sellers of legitimate software,” says a BBC stgory here., going on:

“A recent survey by the US internet provider Earthlink found that the average computer was packed with hidden software, such as cookies tracking online habits. It uncovered an average of 28 spyware programs on each PC scanned during the first three months of the year.”

If you’re worried, just head over to Patrick Kolla’s absolutely free Spybot - Search & Destroy which still rules as one of, if not the, best decontamination apps around.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 18th, 2004 at 2:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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