The chief executive of a Boulder anti-spyware software company testified before a U.S. Senate committee this week about the harmful effects of spyware and the need for legislation to curtail it.
The hearing of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation included the announcement of two bills to fight the effects of spyware on individuals and businesses. Spyware is software that is surreptitiously downloaded to computers to monitor users’ actions.
“We believe that there is a vital role for legislators, regulatory agencies and law enforcement to play in this fight,” Web root Software’s C. David Moll told the committee Wednesday. “Spyware and its ability to access a user’s machine without informed consent for financial gain is an epidemic that threatens the viability of the Internet as a commerce, entertainment, communications and educational tool.”
Nine of every 10 U.S. consumer computers are infected with spyware, according to an April report from Webroot. Spyware ranges from innocuous cookies, which are used to track user preferences, to programs that steal passwords used for fraud and identity theft.
Webroot, which is privately held and employs 225 people, spent the past year educating legislators about the spyware problem, Moll said. Webroot was consulted in advance on two bills introduced during the hearing.
The Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of Consumer Knowledge, or SPYBLOCK, Act, authored by Sen. Conrad Burns, R.-Mont., would prohibit installing software on someone’s computer without their notice and consent. It also would require reasonable uninstall procedures for software downloads.
The second bill, introduced by Sen. George Allen, R-Va., would require U.S. authorities to cooperate with international groups to fight spyware. Both bills reflect “a considerable amount of learning from” previous computer epidemics, such as spamming, Moll said.
Language in the Allen anti-spyware bill addresses attacks coming from outside the U.S. and offers a broader definition of what kinds of technical violations would be considered unlawful. Placing prohibitions on a larger scope of activities would be helpful in combating the problem, Moll said.
“If you defined technology in one way, spammers would find another technological approach,” he said.
Combining the best of both bills would create strong spyware legislation, Moll said. The bills must be approved by the committee, after which they would be presented to the full Senate.
Separately, Webroot was named Thursday to Red Herring magazine’s list of top 100 private companies.
Staff writer Kimberly S. Johnson can be reached at 303-820-1088 or kjohnson@denverpost.com.
