CNET: Senators seek to define, then ban, spyware

Members of a Senate subcommittee said that they hope to ban spyware once they figure out the touchy issue of precisely defining just what spyware is. Where some would lump any adware applications - programs like music sharing software Kazaa - into the category, others say spyware really means software that spies on user behavior. But even some applications that do that can be innocuous, so long as users have disclosure and invite them onto their computers.

The subcommittee members indicated the issue was more complicated than first appearances, much like the spam definition debate experienced last year, which still remains largely unresolved.