House To Enact Anti-Spyware Law

Posted by Zonk on Friday February 18, 2005 @03:42AM from the but-bonzer-buddy-wants-to-be-your-friend! dept.

Stephen Samuel wrote to mention that the U.S. House of Representatives has readied the aptly acronymed Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass Act (SPY ACT) for law. MS-BS has an article claiming that the bill allows a loophole for the makers of proprietary software. The issue at hand concerns Section 5, paragraph b, subsection 2, under the heading of limitations. The law does not apply to: "(2) a discrete interaction with a protected computer by a provider of computer software solely to determine whether the user of the computer is authorized to use such software, that occurs upon (A) initialization of the software; or (B) an affirmative request by the owner or authorized user for an update of, addition to, or technical service for, the software." The law, then, would disallow Gator and their ilk but would not hamper Microsoft's Genuine Advantage Program. More complete commentary is available at TechReview and About.com.

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if this gets passed by Anonymous Coward · 2005-02-18 04:00 · Score: -1, Flamebait

then you get to run only microsoft approved spyware, oh joy...
Oh No! Another monopoly for M$ by xtermin8 · 2005-02-18 04:05 · Score: 0, Flamebait

So now MicroSoft will have a monopoly on spyware too! Oh Great. ;-)
Re:Story is slightly over-rated. by Anonymous Coward · 2005-02-18 04:12 · Score: -1, Flamebait

if you insist on using Windows, then you should be paying for it

Yes but:

they have every right to inspect your machine to see if you are.

What a sick moron are you? Once I have bought Windows, Microsoft has absolutely NO RIGHTS on what I do with it and they have NO RIGHTS WHATSOEVER as to who can access it! Really, you're so stupid I think you're a troll, but I can be wrong :'(