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Bill aims to regulate spyware
Spy Block bill targets "surreptitious installation" of software and other "deceptive practices."
Declan McCullagh Former Senior Writer
Declan McCullagh is the chief political correspondent for CNET. You can e-mail him or follow him on Twitter as declanm. Declan previously was a reporter for Time and the Washington bureau chief for Wired and wrote the Taking Liberties section and Other People's Money column for CBS News' Web site.
A handful of U.S. senators on Monday introduced a bill to regulate spyware, upping the odds of such a law being enacted this year. In 2004, the House of Representatives took the lead in , which was quickly approved but died in the Senate.
Sponsors Conrad Burns, R-Mont., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., are hoping that an early start in the Senate will meet with better results. They said their new "Spy Block" bill targets the "surreptitious installation" of software, the dubious practice of installing software that can't readily be removed, and other "deceptive practices."