Forum member computer2slow has made an interesting post in the P2P and Legal Issues Forum. On Friday, the Senate approved portions of the Spy Block Act. Called the Internet Spyware Prevention Act, or I-SPY, this new bill gets tough on adware and spyware. Failure to follow these new guidelines and intentionally accessing a computer without permission, to install these type programs could land folks in prison. We have to wonder if this would be something that Sony and First4Internet should be concerned about!
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Under I-SPY, using unauthorized access to a computer to commit a crime is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for up to five years. If the access is used to transmit personal information for the purposes of fraud or damaging a computer, the prison terms can go up to two years. The House also passed the Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act (SPY Act), which toughens penalties on spyware purveyors. But it goes much further than the I-SPY Act by imposing an opt-in, notice and consent regime for legal software that collects personally identifiable information from consumers. Among the spyware practices prohibited by the bill are phishing, keystroke logging, homepage hijacking and ads that can't be closed except by shutting down a computer. Violators could face civil penalties of up to $3 million. |
Check out the story in it's entirety at Internet News. Then head on over to our Music Download, Peer to Peer (P2P) & Legal Issues, if you like to stay up to speed on these type developments or discuss their impact with others.
Source: Internet News
