ClickZ: California Enacts Anti-Spyware Law
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger approved an anti-spyware bill that will make illegal the surreptitious collection of personally identifiable information. The law bans software that secretly installs itself, cannot be uninstalled or that misrepresents itself as uninstalled.
The law is a much-modified version, now supported by many online advertising firms. Previous versions would have made illegal the use of cookies for tracking users and other technologies commonly used by many sites for benign purposes. The law includes a measure that empowers Californians to sue violators for civil damages, ensuring that enforcement is not left solely up to overburdened state prosecutors.
