Fighting spies in cyberspace

Dallas Morning News: Think you're the only person looking at your bank account on your computer screen?
Think again. And chalk it up to spyware, which amounts to someone peering into your private life online.
Spyware is a software code that unscrupulous advertisers and criminals secretly dump on computers to learn more about online users. Once there, it can do an incredible amount of mischief.
It can crash your computer, allow a crook to hijack your system, steal your financial records or even your identity. And you may be none the wiser until it's too late.
California Republican Rep. Mary Bono is taking direct aim to outlaw this unethical, ruthless practice. We applaud this much-overdue legislation, backed by Texan Joe Barton, who heads the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The measure takes a hard line against malicious access to computers without crippling technology that is useful to online advertisers. That's no small balancing act.
Requirements
The bill bans any deceptive attempt to collect personal information or to hijack a computer. It also requires users of tracking technology to tell consumers in plain English that they are tallying broad marketing information.
The bill empowers the Federal Trade Commission to levy hefty fines against Web site operators who secretly install spyware or don't give users the chance to keep their online activities private.
This hasn't been an easy road. Bono's earlier attempt to craft anti-spyware legislation inadvertently was written in such a way as to impair legitimate tracking technology known as "cookies." Those are generally harmless files that allow a Web site to recognize the computer whenever a person revisits it. Unlike spyware, cookies don't divulge personally identifiable information but do allow advertisers to track the effectiveness of their online advertising.