Washington (DC) - The US House of Representatives has passed the first major cyber security bill since the Democrats took over in January.
Representative Zoe Lofren (D) of California says that as many as 90% of US computers have some sort of spyware. It "is one of the biggest threats to consumers on the Internet," she was quoted as saying in an AP story.
Under the proposed law, accessing a computer unauthorized will be a criminal offense and punishable by up to five years in prison. Maliciously obtaining or sending out someone's personal information would also be against the law, with a prison sentence of up to two years. In addition, the bill proposes $10 million in resources for the Justice Department to fight and prevent phishing, pharming, and other forms of identity theft.
The legislative document goes into nauseating detail about what is and is not spyware, so that legitimate companies won't be affected. Republican representative from Virginia Bob Goodlatte said it is designed to punish "the truly bad actors."
Republican-led House sessions before have passed similar bills, but they have never cleared the Senate, which is required before it appears on the president's desk. This will be the first time this kind of bill has gone to a Democratic-controlled Senate with a House of Representatives seal of approval.
Representative Zoe Lofren (D) of California says that as many as 90% of US computers have some sort of spyware. It "is one of the biggest threats to consumers on the Internet," she was quoted as saying in an AP story.
Under the proposed law, accessing a computer unauthorized will be a criminal offense and punishable by up to five years in prison. Maliciously obtaining or sending out someone's personal information would also be against the law, with a prison sentence of up to two years. In addition, the bill proposes $10 million in resources for the Justice Department to fight and prevent phishing, pharming, and other forms of identity theft.
The legislative document goes into nauseating detail about what is and is not spyware, so that legitimate companies won't be affected. Republican representative from Virginia Bob Goodlatte said it is designed to punish "the truly bad actors."
Republican-led House sessions before have passed similar bills, but they have never cleared the Senate, which is required before it appears on the president's desk. This will be the first time this kind of bill has gone to a Democratic-controlled Senate with a House of Representatives seal of approval.