FTC Commissioner Calls for Prison for Spyware Distributors

gonzo · 04-11-2007

Whine , Complain , Accept it.

WASHINGTON — At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Tuesday morning, Federal Trade Commissioner William Kovacic said that many spyware distributors "can only be described as vicious organized criminals" and suggested the only deterrent is prison.

Kovacic was responding to a question from Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., about whether the FTC can stop the act of surreptitiously loading software on an unsuspecting user's computer.

"It's a real source of frustration for my constituents, my family, my office ... basically anyone who has a computer," Pryor said.

"Many of most serious wrongdoers we observed in this area, I believe, are only going to be deterred if their freedom is withdrawn," Kovacic said, calling for the FTC to collaborate on its cases with criminal law enforcement authorities.

Congress has tried to pass legislation aimed at curbing spyware and adware before.

At the same hearing, FTC Commissioner Jon Leibowitz reiterated a request for Congress to increase the Commissions powers to levy fines, not just in spyware cases, but in other FTC jurisdictions as well, such as the act of using false pretenses, or "pretexting," to obtain telephone records.
Tuesday's hearing was held for the FTC commissioners to update the Senate on their recent activities and to request an increase of $17 million from last year's $240 million budget. The hearing lasted about 90 minutes and was attended by only four senators from the 22-member committee — but all five Federal Trade Commissioners. It was the first appearance by all five FTC commissioners before the panel since a hearing involving identity theft issues in June 2005.

TheEnforcer · 04-11-2007

Damn.. they really want to bring the hammer down. An argument can be made that spyware is no different than hacking which is illegal. That said I could easily see them going too far and affecting legit commerce. These are politicians after all.

04-11-2007	#1
gonzo Fat Fucking Nobody Want to see your own Advertising Here! Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Atlanta,Ga. Posts: 17,795 Blog Entries: 11	FTC Commissioner Calls for Prison for Spyware Distributors Whine , Complain , Accept it. WASHINGTON — At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Tuesday morning, Federal Trade Commissioner William Kovacic said that many spyware distributors "can only be described as vicious organized criminals" and suggested the only deterrent is prison. Kovacic was responding to a question from Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., about whether the FTC can stop the act of surreptitiously loading software on an unsuspecting user's computer. "It's a real source of frustration for my constituents, my family, my office ... basically anyone who has a computer," Pryor said. "Many of most serious wrongdoers we observed in this area, I believe, are only going to be deterred if their freedom is withdrawn," Kovacic said, calling for the FTC to collaborate on its cases with criminal law enforcement authorities. Congress has tried to pass legislation aimed at curbing spyware and adware before. At the same hearing, FTC Commissioner Jon Leibowitz reiterated a request for Congress to increase the Commissions powers to levy fines, not just in spyware cases, but in other FTC jurisdictions as well, such as the act of using false pretenses, or "pretexting," to obtain telephone records. Tuesday's hearing was held for the FTC commissioners to update the Senate on their recent activities and to request an increase of $17 million from last year's $240 million budget. The hearing lasted about 90 minutes and was attended by only four senators from the 22-member committee — but all five Federal Trade Commissioners. It was the first appearance by all five FTC commissioners before the panel since a hearing involving identity theft issues in June 2005. __________________ We are putting the bastards of this world on notice; greed and corruption will always be met with "a voice made of ink and rage." "Never try and be like anyone else" - Hunter S. Thompson "The truth is the truth no matter how you try and package a lie" - Shellee Hale

04-11-2007	#2
TheEnforcer Scored VIP to Anton's Piss Tank Want to see your own Advertising Here! Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 8,781	Re: FTC Commissioner Calls for Prison for Spyware Distributors Damn.. they really want to bring the hammer down. An argument can be made that spyware is no different than hacking which is illegal. That said I could easily see them going too far and affecting legit commerce. These are politicians after all.