ClickZ: California Anti-Spyware Bills Pass Committee

Two California anti-spyware bills escaped their respective committees and will face votes. One in the senate would find spyware companies $1,000 for installing software without notice, imposing a clear distinction between spyware and what the law would consider adware. The Assembly bill is more interesting, banning software that forces browsers to move to sites not chosen by the user, secret surveillance and preventing the quitting of a program. It would also ban software designed to prevent de-installation. Most importantly, it allows civil suits against spyware outfits, allowing angered consumers to enforce the measure, rather than relying politically and budgetarily on the state's attorney general.