Hearing of House Committee on Energy and Commerce - Combating Spyware: H.R. 29, the Spy Act

HEARING OF HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE - COMBATING SPYWARE: H.R. 29, THE SPY ACT

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Mr. Markey. Mr. Chairman, we are the World Champion Boston Patriots, and we are going to continue being the World Champion Boston Patriots. So we are----

Chairman Barton. I ask unanimous consent to revise.

Mr. Markey. We are--we can't believe it, either, so thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for having this hearing today, and Mr. Dingell. Mr. Stearns and Ms. Schakowsky have done an excellent job in shepherding this bill through, and I want to congratulate Mr. Towns and Ms. Bono for their leadership on this very important issue.

The online villains who spread spyware deceive computer uses through disingenuous download requests, phony icons and covert tricks to induce users to permit the installation of programs that computer users do not want or require. In contrast to software applications from reputable online companies, surreptitiously installed spyware programs are designed to thwart a user's ability to control their own computers. Rather than improving a computer's online experience, the installed features often deliver annoying pop-up ads, hijack home pages, and can secretly monitor a consumer's use of their computer and their travels across the Internet. Hopefully we can move this consensus bill through the process and have the Senate side produce spyware legislation this session as well.

In addition, I would also like to note that I look forward to working with Chairman Barton and our other committee colleagues on privacy legislation this year. In the last session, I offered legislation to extend the Cable Act's privacy protections to other similar entities. I was successful in getting one portion of my bill enacted, namely extending these consumer privacy protections to satellite providers, such as DirectTV and EcoStar, as part of the Home Satellite Viewer Act legislation that became law last year. Yet, we need to pass the remaining part of my bill to close the current loophole, which leaves consumers of services such as Replay TV with no legal privacy protections. What consumers watch at home, how they use the Internet, who they call or e-mail, and what services they may subscribe to are nobody's business. And companies should not monitor, collect, and disclose such personal information without the prior knowledge and express approval of consumers.

So I intend to reintroduce my privacy bill regarding Replay TV and other such devices, and I hope that we can work on that and similar online privacy legislation this year. I thank you, again, Mr. Chairman, for having this very important hearing today.

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