Last week's column: "A new tech battle brews in D.C." [ip]

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

http://news.com.com/2010-1032-5093409.html

A new tech battle brews in D.C.
October 20, 2003, 4:00 AM PT
By Declan McCullagh

Even casual observers of the moral swamp called Washington, D.C., may 
remember the notorious Hollings bill, a mandatory copy protection proposal 
last year, which Hollywood's lobbyists loved and Silicon Valley hated.

Because Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, D-S.C. is retiring, the entertainment 
industry has been forced to locate new champions in the U.S. Congress. It 
has found them in three key members of the U.S. House of Representatives: 
Lamar Smith, R-Texas; Howard Berman, D-Calif.; and John Conyers, D-Mich.

The like-minded trio has quietly drafted a bill arguably as intrusive as 
Hollings' plan. They seem to be trying to target peer-to-peer clients, but 
you wouldn't know it from their proposal.

The fine print says huge categories of software--including Web browsers, 
instant messaging clients and e-mail utilities--that are offered for 
download must contain a warning that it "could create a security and 
privacy risk."

And the catch? If the companies or individuals who offer the software for 
download don't comply with the requirement, they will face criminal 
penalties such as fines or prison terms of up to six months. Even, that is, 
if the software is actually secure and poses no security risk.

[...remainder snipped...]
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