Apple's got a pretty decent solution to this as well, you have to supply a password everytime you try to install something. Thus nothing can be installed behind your back. I'm sure someone will find an error in the implementation, but it should be fixable when it happens. I think this should be mandatory on consumer level OS's at this point.

Legislation like this is generally a bad thing, we don't need more toothless/unenforceable laws. It will be difficult to prosecute, cost taxpayers money and in the end those who wish to engage in such activities will find another way to do so. Anyone receive zero spam after the spam legislation happened? Didn't think so. Trying to legislate application of technology is dicey at best, pointless and costly at worst. I think this legislation was grandstanding - thus legislation at its worst.

I've been running some combination of Mozilla/Firefox, avast, zone alarm, spybot and adaware for a few years now. I also don't mindlessly install every "free super widget" that comes down the pike. I've gotten zero popup windows, trojans, virii, worms and no successfully executed spyware in all that time. The solution to technological problems usually isn't legislation - it's better technology. Currently, legislation just opens up a new avenue for misuse of law, a new source of funds, and an additional expansion of power for government. It's left to the taxpaying citizens to bear the costs both financially and in terms of reduction of freedom. Bad deal.

As long as we're totally off topic in a crummy government kind of way, I find it funny no one mentioned the more egregious "RealID" backstab that got slipped into the Iraq spending increase a couple of weeks ago. I'd like to think that's a bit more "interesting" than a spyware law.

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PS. Apologies to all non U.S. citizens to which this post does not apply

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Message edited on: 05/24/2005 14:16