For first time, US govt cracks down on spyware installers
497964
The US government has moved for the first time to block unsolicited circulation on the Internet of spyware, a type of software that can inundate Web users with pop-up ads, secretly take control of their computers and spy on their online activities.
584753
Companies are accused of infecting PCs, and then selling spyware-blocking software.
109091
WASHINGTON - The House on Thursday passed the second bill in three days that would outlaw &quot;spyware,&quot; irritating software that quietly monitors the activities of Internet users.
85052
US Attorney General John Ashcroft heralded the success of Operation Web Snare, a multi-agency crackdown on cybercrime that led to the arrrest or conviction of more than 150 people for a variety
729828
More than 100 people have been arrested in the largest global crackdown to date on identity theft, hacking and other Internet-based crimes, US Attorney General John Ashcroft said on Thursday.
321591
The man at the center of the nation&#39;s first spyware case â- businessman notorious for his junk Internet mailings â -s federal regulators were politically
41056
The U.S. government has sued a New  Hampshire man in its first attempt to crack down on Internet  "spyware" that seizes control of a user's computer without  permission.
104785
(InfoWorld) - Washington's attorney general has settled the first case prosecuted under the state's 2005 Computer Spyware Act. The settlement announced Monday is with antispyware vendor Secure Computer. The White Plains, New York, software company wasÂ accused of marketing its product via deceptive spam and pop-up ads, which offered free spyware scans that always detected a problem with the computer that was scanned. The company and its president, Paul Burke, will pay $725,000 in legal fees and $200,000 in penalties, and will reimburse Washington state customers $75,000, said Paula Selis, senior council with the attorney general's office. "Given the scope of the defendants' practices and the amount of consumer harm out there, we feel this is a very fair settlement." More than 1,100 state residents purchased the company's Spyware Cleaner software since it went on the market in 2004, Selis said. Those customers will now be e-mailed by Secure Computer and offered a refund for the $49.95 product, under terms of the settlement. Secure Computer, which admits no wrongdoing in the matter, is also prohibited fromÂ using deceptive marketing techniquesÂ to promote its software, and the company must now review the advertising of its marketing affiliates to make sure they comply with the settlement. That seems like an unlikely possibility, however, because Spyware Cleaner was pulled from the market shortly after the lawsuits were filed in late January, and Secure ComputerÂ is now out of business,Â according to the company's Web site. Representatives from Secure Computer could not be reached for comment. Burke, who was Secure Computer's president, has formed a new company called Safe App Software, which is now selling a registry cleaner product, Selis said. That product is not being sold in the U.S. she added. Secure Computer and four of its business partners were sued by Microsoft and the Washington attorney general in January, but charges against three of the men have already been settled. A fourth man, Manoj Kumar of Maharashtra, India, could not be located, the attorney general's office said. Burke and Secure Computer settled the Microsoft lawsuit about two months ago, said Spencer Freeman, an attorney with Freeman Law Firm Inc. who represented the defendants in the case. Freeman declined to comment on Monday's settlement.ADVERTISEMENTNEW IT SERVICES FROM IBM: EASIER TO BUY AND IMPLEMENTDiscover a simpler, more cost-effective way to get the solutions your company needs to grow more flexible and efficient.
278932
Microsoft Corp.  began offering anti-spyware program downloads for Windows users on Thursday, taking the first step in offering its own computer security products and sending shares of security software vendors lower.
661343
(Source: AT&T)  From managing unrestricted Web surfing to thwarting unwanted criminal intrusions, new focus is being placed on security.
400576
California Gov. Arnold  Schwarzenegger signed an anti-spyware bill on Tuesday banning  unauthorized installation of deceptive software that hides in  personal computers and secretly monitors user activity.
170716
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an anti-spyware bill on Tuesday banning unauthorized installation of deceptive software that hides in personal computers and secretly monitors user activity.
502244
While a bill passed by the House last month put stricter requirements on software to protect consumers from spyware, the body has passed another bill with even stricter policies.
1937
On a unanimous vote the US House of Representatives Thursday approved a bill making many &quot;spyware&quot; activities illegal. Spyware can be surreptitiously loaded into a computer via the Internet and extract information
695543
The House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday that further penalizes the use of spyware, but leaves out requirements for compliance by software developers.
749890
Spyware, an amorphous class of software that mostly gets onto computers without their usersâ knowledge, has become epidemic in the past year as people spend more time online and spyware developers get more aggressive.
691554
Anti-Spyware Bill Passed by House  Legislation prohibiting spyware practices was passed Tuesday by the United States House of Representatives in a 399-1 vote. Termed the Spy Act, this bill not only prevents all things associated with spyware, but it also requires that opt-ins, notices and consents accompany any legal software that ...