Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates, in a speech to Silicon Valley technologists this month, said that while he's never had a virus infect his computer, he's been surprised to find many spyware and adware programs that he never authorized on it. He said he has directed the company to launch a new project to create a "cure."
The National Cyber Security Alliance, a partnership between the tech industry and the Homeland Security Department, estimates that 90 percent of computers using high-speed Internet connections have collected at least one spyware or adware program, causing a loss in productivity, extra customer support, and repairs.
Members of Congress say their offices are fielding an increasing number of constituent complaints about the problem. Two bills that aim to address the problem passed the House last week. One, sponsored by Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.), who first became aware of the problem when her teenage children's computers were affected, calls for civil fines of up to $3 million for those who use spyware to defraud consumers. Her bill also would require companies to post more conspicuous notifications that their software might come with adware. Another, introduced by Robert W. Goodlatte (R-Va.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Lamar S. Smith (R-Tex.), would allocate $10 million for the Justice Department to fight spyware.
"Spyware is a very real problem that is endangering consumers, damaging businesses, and creating millions of dollars of additional costs," Lofgren said after a spyware bill was passed on Thursday.
A coalition of technology companies, many of which have resisted regulation in the past, have rallied behind a spyware bill.
Colleen Ryan, a Dell Inc. spokeswoman, said the programs have done damage both in dollars and reputation to the technology industry. Since August 2003, she said, customer support calls to Dell related to spyware have gone from slightly more than 2 percent to between 10 to 15 percent.
She said many customers assume that their problems are with the company's hardware rather than spyware. "We have to tell them: It's not your computer."
Using a computer was supposed to get easier, not harder. At the height of the dot-com boom, companies promised "plug and play" functionality so that even "dummies" could use the latest technologies to download music, create family videos and build blogs.
But along the way something changed. The Internet got a lot more dangerous, forcing consumers to take on more responsibility for protecting their machines.
If Internet users got grades for the effort they take to maintain their computers, Harris would be a straight-A student.
