Late Tuesday, the House of Representatives resoundingly passed legislation prohibiting spyware, or programs that take control of users' computers, surreptitiously modify settings, or disable other
software programs downloaded by the user. Called the Spy Act, the new legislation--should it be passed by the Senate--would create a set of rules governing the transmission of information across the
Internet via software. It would give the Federal Trade Commission ultimate authority to police the law, which could yield fines of up to $3 million. The House passed the Spy Act by a vote of 399-1.
