Great read on what was presented to the
FTC on Monday for new legislation muzzling the spyware/adware/malware wanks causing 300 million web surfers a pile of grief.
http://www.cdt.org/testimony/20040323berman.shtml
...."Users should have control over what programs are installed on their computers and over how their Internet connections are used. They should be able to rely on a predictable web-browsing experience to remove for any reason and at any time programs they don't want. The widespread proliferation of invasive software applications takes away this control.
Better consumer education, industry self-regulation, and new anti-spyware tools are all key to addressing this problem. New laws, if carefully crafted, may also have a role to play. Many spyware practices, however, are already illegal. Even before passing new legislation, existing fraud statutes should be robustly enforced against the distributors of these programs.
The potential of the Internet will be substantially harmed if users come to believe that they cannot use the Internet without being at risk of infection from spyware applications. We must find creative ways to address this problem through law, technology, public education and industry initiatives if the Internet is to continue to flourish." ....
Prepared Statement of Jerry Berman, President of the Center For Democracy & Technology
Before The Senate Committee On Commerce, Science, And Transportation Subcommittee on Communications ...On The SPY BLOCK Act
great website for educating your shoppers to the dangers of spyware/adware...
http://privacy.getnetwise.org/
and Charlie 
