Da-Chief
06-16-2008, 16:00
http://i.dslr.net/urls/78/4678.gif (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/AntiSpyware-Bill-Brings-Back-UCITA-95335)
User uid://1376598 writes in: "In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the commercial software industry pushed for states to adopt a "Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCITA)". UCITA was mostly defeated by 2002 - largely because of controversial provisions that would have legalized post-sale "click wrap" contracts, and remote disabling of software or whole computers when the vendor suspected piracy." It would appear that UCITA is born again within a provision buried in Senate bill 1625, the "Counter Spy Act." A little more detail courtesy of Ed Foster at Infoworld (http://weblog.infoworld.com/gripeline/archives/2008/06/spyware_bill_cl.html):...troubling is the fact that the language of Subsection 6(a)(10) would effectively allow a software provider to unilaterally decide to remotely shut down the user's computer or Internet or other network connection or service. But whether the use of a particular software is 'unauthorized,' 'fraudulent,' or 'illegal' is often subject to legitimate dispute and merits some judicial consideration before a provider is allowed to unilaterally employ a drastic remedy like remote disablement."
In other words, a bill that's supposed to take aim at Spyware is really giving the software industry the legal right to take unilateral action against your PC or connection should they suspect you're using unauthorized software. Perhaps next up is re-animating Orrin Hatch's failed 2003 effort (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/29380) to legalize the remote destruction of suspected pirate PCs.
read comment(s) (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/AntiSpyware-Bill-Brings-Back-UCITA-95335)
More...
User uid://1376598 writes in: "In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the commercial software industry pushed for states to adopt a "Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCITA)". UCITA was mostly defeated by 2002 - largely because of controversial provisions that would have legalized post-sale "click wrap" contracts, and remote disabling of software or whole computers when the vendor suspected piracy." It would appear that UCITA is born again within a provision buried in Senate bill 1625, the "Counter Spy Act." A little more detail courtesy of Ed Foster at Infoworld (http://weblog.infoworld.com/gripeline/archives/2008/06/spyware_bill_cl.html):...troubling is the fact that the language of Subsection 6(a)(10) would effectively allow a software provider to unilaterally decide to remotely shut down the user's computer or Internet or other network connection or service. But whether the use of a particular software is 'unauthorized,' 'fraudulent,' or 'illegal' is often subject to legitimate dispute and merits some judicial consideration before a provider is allowed to unilaterally employ a drastic remedy like remote disablement."
In other words, a bill that's supposed to take aim at Spyware is really giving the software industry the legal right to take unilateral action against your PC or connection should they suspect you're using unauthorized software. Perhaps next up is re-animating Orrin Hatch's failed 2003 effort (http://www.corpsman.com/shownews/29380) to legalize the remote destruction of suspected pirate PCs.
read comment(s) (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/AntiSpyware-Bill-Brings-Back-UCITA-95335)
More...