US moves to rein in spyware

US law-makers have taken steps towards imposing controls on hidden software that can secretly spy on online habits. A key congressional panel endorsed a bill that would force the makers of spyware to notify users before installing any software on their PCs. Spyware is a broad term for software that hides on a PC, collecting data about you and what you do on the net. The proposed measures could become law later this year, according to one of the panel members.

This is a mixed bag. It will presumably help legitimate software companies understand the need to notify users before installing anything like this, but legitimate software companies are not really the problem. The problem is the illegitimate software companies that distribute spyware using security holes in the Windows operating system. This law won't stop them, although it might allow for punishment once caught.

The real solution would be for either Microsoft to fix their broken piece-of-excrement operating system, or for people to stop using it. But neither one is likely.

In the absense of a proper fix, passing laws to protect buggy software from the consequences of its poor design choices will only encourage similarly poor software design.