On Thursday, the anti-spyware bill–which has twice passed the U.S. House of Representatives only to be rejected by the Senate–got its third hearing in the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection.
The bill, whose full title is the “Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act,” would prohibit any software that takes control of a computer, modifies registry settings, logs keystrokes, or collects other data through misrepresentation. The legislation would also require that any program that collects information first get consent from the computer’s user. The bill would levy stiff civil penalties against those responsible for programs that hijack a user’s computer or collects data without adequate authorization.
continued @ securityfocus.com
