New Bill in Oklahoma Would Give Companies Great Power Over You Online

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Wed Apr-12-06 01:42 PM
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New Bill in Oklahoma Would Give Companies Great Power Over You Online

I know that this potential bill does not affect the entire Union, but I think it should send up red flags for concerned citizens. Essentially this bill would allow companies like Microsoft to snoop on your online activities, read your email, AND delete files from your computer. This is raising all kinds of alarms for me. It's equally as bad as Bush's domestic spying program, and I think in the long run has dire consequences for the people of, not only Oklahoma, but the United States. I mean, you all know that once something like this is implemented in one state it will spread like wildfire. Below are excerpts from the articles that I found particularly ominous:

Microsoft helped write Oklahoma computer law -- Knock, knock. Who's there? http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=30877
The good people of Oklahoma asked Microsoft to help the State write a new law banning spyware, and the results are amazing...

Under the law, people could be fined a million dollars for using viruses or surreptitious computer techniques to break into someone’s computer without that person’s knowledge and acceptance. OK so far...

In other words if you install Vista, Microsoft can come in, snoop around your computer see if you are doing anything illegal and delete it...

THE WATCHERS http://www.okgazette.com/news/templates/cover.asp?articleid=423&zoneid=7
It’s supposed to protect you from predators spying on your computer habits, but a bill Microsoft Corp. helped write for Oklahoma will open your personal information to warrantless searches, according to a computer privacy expert and a state representative...

Called the “Computer Spyware Protection Act,” House Bill 2083 would create fines of up to a million dollars for anyone using viruses or surreptitious computer techniques to break on to someone’s computer without that person’s knowledge and acceptance, according to the bill’s state Senate author, Clark Jolley....

That means that Microsoft (or another company with such software) can erase spyware or viruses. But if you have, say, a pirated copy of Excel — Microsoft (or companies with similar software) can erase it, or anything else they want to erase, and not be held liable for it. Additionally, that phrase “fraudulent or other illegal activities” means they can:

—Let the local district attorney know that you wrote a hot check last month.

—Let the attorney general know that you play online poker.

—Let the tax commission know you bought cartons of cigarettes and didn’t pay the state tax on them.

—Read anything on your hard drive, such as your name, home address, personal identification code, passwords, Social Security number … etc., etc., etc.

Yes, you read that right... Warrentless wiretaps by corporations like Microsoft! It doesn't stop at just the hardware and software level either, because with the advent of Vonage and other online phone companies, people's conversations can be monitored as well. It figures that Oklahoma State Senator Clark Jolley is a Republican as well. What kind of idiot says, “The goal of this is not to allow any company to go through and scan your computer,” Jolley said. “If they are, it has to be for a specific purpose. If you don’t want them doing that, don’t agree to (the user’s agreement).”? Then how the hell are people supposed to use industry standard programs if they don't agree to be spied upon? I sure as hell hope that Democrats are not going to stand by and let this nonsense pass. Here's more information I just got from a friend:

The senate sponsor is Republican Clark Jolley from Edmond. The actual
bill was authored by The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC - alec.org)
which is a Reagan-era group that has a focus on "ideological legislation" such
as school prayer and anti-abortion legislation. Corporate sponsorship of the
law comes from Symantec, CA, Internet Security Systems, Hewlet-Packard, McAfee,
Cyber Security Industrial Alliance, Trend Micro as well as Microsoft.

One Republican is angry that he voted for it... to quote Republican Mike
Reynolds of Oklahoma City:

“It’s crazy,” Reynolds said of the law. “The vote was unanimous. We were in the middle of some other bill. Someone walked up to me and said, ‘I thought you’d vote against that.’ And I said, ‘Duh.’ I thought it was about spam. I didn’t bother to read it to that level.”

Shows you how closely they pay attention up there...

Also, Microsoft has been overly active in trying to push it through. They
have contributed monetarily to Oklahoma's Republican Senate Committee
and to Gov. Brad Henry. Microsoft's main lobbyist, Andrew Wise, has
been spending the majority of his time lately at the OK capital.

Another excerpt that is of interest:

Wise was contacted several times by the Gazette regarding the bill, but said he would pass questions on to Microsoft’s corporate communications office. However, at an Oklahoma Senate technology committee meeting, while he did not deny that the bill would give Microsoft sweeping powers over software users, he said the main reason for such corporate liberties in the bill was to give liability protection to the software giant.

“The reason that language is in there is so … the way the bill has been structured … when we give you an update, we don’t want that stuff we give you to be considered spyware,” Wise said. “The reason that’s in there is to make it clear that we are allowed.”

Wise concurred that the bill would benefit other companies besides Microsoft.

A sad state of affairs to say the least...

Spread the word far and wide, DUers. This sort of stuff is scary to say the least.