2004 Senate Bill 1361

Ban surreptitious spyware

Introduced in the Senate

Sept. 8, 2004

Introduced by Sen. Cameron Brown (R-16)

To prohibit and provide remedies for installing spyware onto another person's computer without consent. Action could be brought by a computer user, an Internet Web site owner, an authorized advertiser, or a copyright or trademark owner. Penalties would be the greater of actual damages, or $10,000 per violation. "Spyware" is a program that surreptitiously monitors a person's use of a computer, including where they go on the web, and transmits that information to an advertiser or other person.

Referred to the Committee on Judiciary