House Approves Another Anti-Spyware Bill

While a bill passed by the House last month put stricter requirements on software to protect consumers from spyware, the body has passed another bill with even stricter policies.

This bill faces opposition from the software industry, that says the new regulations could place an unnecessary burden on developers and stunt technology investment. It passed in bipartisan fashion by a vote of 368 to 48.

Last month's legislation, while further penalizing the use of spyware tactics, stopped short of requiring software developers to notify what was installed and obtain consent.

It was taken out of the former bill in order to appease software industry interests. However, some lawmakers felt it was not enough, and resubmitted a similar bill with the regulations added back in.

In either case, the Senate has not yet decided whether to take up the bill. Spyware legislation has typically had a hard time getting through the body. In previous sessions of Congress under Republican control, the House passed several bills, but were stalled in the Senate.