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First Anti-Phishing Law Enacted in California

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the sure-is-annoying dept.

Steve writes "Arnold Schwarzenegger, governor of California, signed a bill yesterday that makes phishing a civil liability. According to MSNBC, the new law is the first of its kind in the country: "The bill, advanced by state Sen. Kevin Murray, is the first of its kind in the United States and makes 'phishing'... a civil violation. Victims may seek to recover actual damages or $500,000 for each violation, depending upon which is greater." This is an expensive penalty for phishers who are litigated against, but do the lack of criminal accountability and the burden of action on the victim hinder the effectiveness of this bill?"

8 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. Bah. Environmentalists by republican+gourd · · Score: 2, Funny

    You have got to be kidding me. The elaborate system of dams, resevoirs and aqueducts that serve Los Angeles *alone* do more damage to the environment than any amount of commercial or recreational fishing in California or along the Pacific coast. And don't even get me started on Disneyland. 150 years since slavery was abolished, and mice and ducks are still held in thrall.

  2. Awesome! by Beatlebum · · Score: 3, Funny

    No more phishing! We should enact laws against spam too and solve that problem.

  3. $500,000 by teidou · · Score: 4, Funny

    $500,000? I'm in.

    Aw man: I just deleted about $6,000,000 worth of opportunities, er, scams last week.

    1. Re:$500,000 by Anonymous+Brave+Guy · · Score: 3, Funny

      Dear sir,

      I am write to you with very important business proposition. I understanding you recently to have lost much valuable data. I very please to offer you my services to recover this data.

      I am expert computer consultant from Nigeria, able to help you in many ways to recover your valuable data. Please just to click here to send me details your bank accounts, so that $10,000 seed money can be taken (temporary only!) to secure our services. Honourable guarantee of funds to be returned is provided.

      Looking forward to working with you,

      Mr A Cowboy
      Customers Service Us Department
      Best Antiphishing Company In The World, Inc.
      Nigeria

      --
      If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
  4. Phishing by PhoenxHwk · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now who ever thought they'd see politicians using the word "phishing", more or less putting it into a bill?

  5. The Phishers will be Terminated... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...or the Terminators will be phished... He'll be back... I presume,,, sooner or later...

  6. Re:The police are not doing the job by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 2, Funny

    If you combine this with the new florida law that makes it legal to shoot someone if they piss you off or maybe look a bit foreign, then it'd work very well... find phisher/spammer, shoot them in the head... profit!

  7. PC Manufacturers can educate users. by Chatmag · · Score: 2, Funny

    I've made the same suggestion a few other times, and it still applies here.

    The PC manufacturers can configure a start up sequence. When a user starts their computer, a series of screens appear which demonstrate the various Internet evils and countermeasures. One can show information on spam, another on phishing, etc.

    As each screen is displayed, the user must click on a "I understand" button before going to the next screen. Only after each screen is viewed will their PC fully boot.

    How simple can it be for the PC manufacturers to do this? At least the user cannot say "I didn't know".

    --
    Pete Carr Owner Chatmag.com