Spyware bill moves forward

Wired has an update on the (anti) spyware bill and what it may mean for us.

While the bill received unanimous approval from the Commerce Committee (and is expected to garner wide support in the full House), there remained lingering concerns about certain provisions that could lead to more tinkering before the bill hits the House floor.

Ranking committee member Rep. John Dingell (D-Michigan) said he's worried the bill's cookie exemption might be too broad.

"At least with respect to cookies, we need to make sure that we are not creating dangerous loopholes that are inconsistent with the purposes of this legislation," he said.

Despite such concerns, however, HR29 appears on the fast track for passage this year. One potential hurdle is the Senate, which failed to enact its own anti-spyware legislation in the last session even after the House passed last year's version of Bono's bill by an overwhelming 399-1 vote.

Although the House bill still has no companion legislation in the Senate, Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana), who introduced the companion bill that failed to pass last year, plans to reintroduce anti-spyware legislation "in the next one or two months," his spokeswoman said Wednesday.

As you may have noticed, the contrarian viewpoint is frequently where I find myself most interested when I see something being offered. This bill could be very interesting, as long as it can actually be made to work and not mess up other areas.

Posted by Eric at March 10, 2005 12:15 PM | TrackBack