UCITA By the Back Door

InfoWorld's Gripelog airs a subject that should interest this community — involved as we were with efforts against UCITA back in the day. One main aim of the derailed UCITA initiative was to give software manufacturers and content owners a degree of control over users' computers. Gripelog's Ed Foster informs us that UCITA is sneaking back in, under the cover of an anti-spyware bill, S. 1625, now making its way through the US Senate. One clause in this draft bill would legalize what the BSA calls "electronic self help" — i.e., the ability for commercial entities to cripple or disable software or networks on your computer if they believe you are violating their property rights.

Comments

Re:Led Zep Back Door Man

[Anonymous Coward]

...'Member the "This is your brain on drugs" TV spots, with an egg sizzling in a frying pan? No, no, I don't think you do.

Re:Trojan?

[Fluffeh]

So, you write and distribute a trojan. If the trojan works properly, you get to snoop about the users PCs and find out what you want to know then hose their system. If it doesn't work properly, you can claim violation of your property rights, and then inspect their systems and finally hose them.

Today seems to be a good day for people wanting to cause grief on the net.

Boy, I hope that Google makes a violation claim against Microsoft. Let the battle begin!

Thought UCITA was inherently through the back door

[Tmack]

I mean, thats what the A stands for right? Unsolicited C*ck In The Anus??? The next step up from UFITA... ohhh you mean THAT UCITA, guess its close enough anyway...

tm