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The Pure Software Act of 2006

Posted by michael on from the ideas-whose-time-have-come dept.

lurker412 writes "The MIT Technology Review features a proposal by Simson Garfinkel to provide honest labels on software in the same way that the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 forced manufacturers of foods and drugs to divulge the contents of their products. The proposal targets adware, spyware and other unsavory practices. It suggests that by requiring software manufacturers to include clear icons for each nasty behavior--rather than hide the disclosures in seldom read or understood click-through SLAs--end users will be better protected. Garfinkel specifically lists eight types of sneaky behavior, but the list is not meant to be exhaustive."

1 of 261 comments (clear)

  1. More evil bits .... by Frater+219 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    It ain't a joke. Honest software makers will indeed likely support it, since it allows them to make clear how their software differs from crapware. I'd go for a few more labels, though, intended to illustrate the intent of the software, so you get what you are paying for.
    • A portcullis. This software filters or alters the content of files or incoming Internet traffic. Web pages you see, for instance, might not represent the exact transmissions of the Web server or the intent of the author. Appropriate to anti-virus software, porn-filtering censorware, privacy software ... and adware that replaces ad banners with other ad banners.
    • A police badge. This software runs by default under elevated or superuser ("root" or "Administrator") privilege. (Simply requiring superuser privilege to install the software doesn't count. Creating a dummy user with most of the privileges of the superuser does, though.) Therefore a bug in this software, including a security vulnerability, can affect anything on your computer -- not just the files owned by the user actively using it.
    • A cable plugged into a wall socket. This software accepts incoming network connections in the default configuration. If you do not intend this software to accept traffic from the Internet, you will need to change the configuration or have a firewall.
    • A computer with an arrow through the monitor. This software is designed to be remotely disabled by the publisher under certain circumstances (such as breach of license or expiration of subscription). The fact that it is installed and working today does not imply that it will continue to work without future intervention.
    • A closed mouth with a finger making the "shush" gesture. This software's license forbids or encumbers the publication of reviews without the permission of the publisher. Reviews you may have read of this software may have been selected by the publisher to represent it in an unfairly positive light.
    • A pair of handcuffs. Documents or other files you produce using this software are encumbered by its license, patents, or other proprietary rights of the publisher. Appropriate for a word processor whose file format is patented, or a compiler whose license forbids you to use it to write software that competes with the publisher's other software.