20050518   

Michael considered fate at 10:25   |   Permalink   |   Post a Comment

And this one from Slashdot; Washington state has just passed a bill that chops the cohones off of spyware distributors.. sorta. The wide-sweeping bill imposes penalties of $100,000 per violation, where "violation" includes, in part, software that:

• changes a browser's bookmarks or homepage settings


• Opens multiple, sequential, stand-alone advertisements in the owner or operator's internet browser


• logs keystrokes, takes over control of the computer, or modifies its security settings


• Falsely represents that computer software has been disabled


• Prevents, through intentionally deceptive means, an owner or operator's reasonable efforts to block the installation or execution of, or to disable, computer software by causing the software that the owner or operator has properly removed or disabled automatically to reinstall or reactivate on the computer.

*phew*

That last one was a dousy. Microsoft and Ebay both testified in support of the bill, proving once again that if you are a low-life bottom-feeding no-good-for-nothing scam-artist of a company, the government will protect it's people from you, but if you are a top-of-the-pile bohemouth scam-artist of a company who forces your licensing/pricing structure on the monopolized masses.. then.. well.. have at it.