Intellectual Property Law

Detecting government spyware

By Kevin A. Thompson

Here’s an interesting article, written by Declan McCullagh and Anne Broache, entitled “Will security firms detect policy spyware?”

There are currently no rules that specifically require companies to comply with requests for government spyware to be installed on users’ machines. There similarly is no current requirement for anti-spyware vendors to write software that doesn’t detect government spyware. The article does a good job discussing some vague language in the Wiretap Act that could be used in an effort to make such a request, but of course whether such an argument would be successful is unknown.

(Hat tip to Bruce Schneier for the link)

Full post as published by Cyberlaw Central on July 19, 2007 (boomark / email).