Rep. Lofgren Applauds Passage of Spyware Bill

May 22, 2007

Bill Criminalizes Spyware Offenses

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) applauds her House colleagues for passing H.R. 1525, the Internet Spyware (I-SPY) Prevention Act of 2007 today. The bill addresses the most egregious activities that are conducted via spyware and makes those activities criminal offenses punishable by both imprisonment and fines.

“I am pleased that my first stand-alone bill to pass this Congress is one that both protects Americans on the internet and fosters continued technological innovation,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren. HR 1525 is a bipartisan measure that identifies the truly unscrupulous acts associated with spyware and subjects them to criminal punishment. This bill is the right approach because it focuses on behavior, not technology. It targets the worst forms of spyware without unduly burdening technological innovation. HR 1525 avoids these pitfalls by targeting illegal conduct and providing a rigorous enforcement mechanism.”

Recent studies estimate that 90 percent of computers in this country are infected with some form of spyware and Americans spend $2.6 billion trying to block or remove malicious software from their computers. That figure says nothing about the lost productivity that results from stolen data and hijacked browsers. At the same time, the technology behind spyware has aspects similar to the technology responsible for the intuitive, seamless interaction with the web that consumers expect and demand. In an age of personalized search pages and RSS feeds, the right approach to spyware must eliminate criminal behavior without criminalizing technology. The I-SPY Prevention Act takes that approach, giving law enforcement the tools it needs to fight spyware while permitting legitimate use of technology that enhances users' experience on the internet.

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren is serving her seventh term in Congress representing most of the City of San Jose and Santa Clara County. She serves as Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law. She also Chairs the House Administration Subcommittee on Elections and serves on the House Homeland Security Committee. Congresswoman Lofgren is Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation consisting of 34 Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives from California.